Never Alone, Not Really
by WingsOfADream
Summary: COMPLETE: Those in Rogue's head are getting more bold and trying to take over. However, there's one voice in her head she actually likes and it's that one voice that might save her. RougeRemy ROMY!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everybody :)

I finally started writing again! Big whoop! So, not my first ever fic but the first ever X-Men fic that I've posted on-line. So you all doubly have to let me know what you think now lol.  
This whole story was originally going to be a lot darker but then I realised, I really don't have that in me. I'm not good at angst. Not heavy duty angst anyway. So, there are slightly angsty bits throughout but they're very softcore so I thought I should only classify it as Drama. The PG is for themes and some naughty language. The accents I've tried my hardest to get right but I'm still not completely sure on them so I'd really appreciate feed back on that as well.  
The setting for this doesn't really fit anywhere very well. If you have to put it anywhere, put it in after the second movie even though Jean isn't dead. You're all just gonna have to use your imaginations a little lol :)

DISCLAIMER: I'll say it once at the beginning so I don't have to say it all the time; X-Men doesn't belong to me and neither do the movies. If I did, Remy would've been brought in, in the first one and Rouge would definately NOT be with (shudders) Bobby.

Well, that's all from me. Hope ya'll enjoy this :)

* * *

What tahme is it? Ah don't know anymore and Ah'm too tahred to check. How long has it been since Ah woke up? Did Ah even go to sleep? Ah doubt it. It's kinda hard to relax and drift off when there's so much noise, so many voices. All chattering away at once, each one telling me something that contridicts who Ah am mahself. There are moments, rare moments, when they're all silent. Those are the moments Ah can remember who Ah really am. Those are the moments that Ah'm alone. Ah prefer to be alone. Ah don't have to pretend when Ah'm alone...

* * *

It was dawn. The sun was just beginning to peak over the trees that surrounded the school. From outside, in the gardens, a still figure could be seen huddled up in the conservatory, simply staring up at the peachy sky.

Rouge sat on one of the wooden benches at the side of the glass room, her legs pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. As she stared up at the rapidly brightening sky, various thoughts ran through her head. Thoughts like it had been three days now since she had slept for more than half an hour at a time. Thoughts of how tired she was, how totally exausted, but how she couldn't go to sleep. The ones inside her head wouldn't let her and even if she did manage to drift off, the nightmares would soon wake her.

Everything had become so much worse recently. She caught Bobby cheating on her with some other girl in the school who she didn't really know too well. Went by the name of Bam Bam she thought. Anyway, that ended things with him. Logan went away once again though she was grimly glad about that. He was getting more and more obsessed with Jean everyday. It made her sick to watch and he stopped talking to her as much as well. It was better that he left. Plus, absolutely everyone around her seemed to be pairing off; Scott and Jean, Kurt and Ororo, Bobby and Bam Bam. Even Kitty and Jubilee had guys now. Everyone had someone but her. And she hated it. She hated not having someone like they did and hated knowing that she'd probably never have someone like they did because of her skin. However, that wasn't the only thing which had become so much worse...

First, it had been the nightmares. They became more frequent, more vivid. She'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming and then spend the rest of the night until morning, crying. But at least she was able to sleep for a few hours at that point. Not now. Not since the voices of those in her head became louder. And they hardly ever shut up! They just kept on and on and that's why she could no longer sleep for long periods of time. Too much noise in her head. Too many voices. Too many horrible nightmares.

Rouge gave a small sigh and closed her eyes before stretching her arms and back. So, as a result of all of these voices and nightmares, here she was now. Unable to sleep and up at the crack of dawn. After her back had cracked a few satisfactory times, she relaxed and let her legs slide down until her feet touched the ground and then stood up. She had better get dressed before people started to wake up and come down for breakfast. Maybe she could make it look like she was only just getting up as well, avoid having to answer awkward questions from everyone.

She started across the conservatory and was halfway towards the door when a sudden sharp, blinding pain coursed through her head. She gave a loud cry and grabbed her head as she fell to her knees. Memories began to pass through her mind. Memories which weren't her own. She gave another cry as the pain pulsed again and she clutched her head tighter, ducking over so she was curled up into a tight little ball. To her side, left over cutlery from people's snacks the night before began to shake violently before lifting up and shooting right at her. The knives and forks soared just over her hunched over back and lodged themselves into the wooden panelling one the wall behind her with dull pangs.

The pain in her head gradually began to subside and Rouge let her hands drop down but remained hunched over, panting a little when she realised she'd been holding her breath. Whatever the Hell had just happened, she hoped it never happened again. That had been the worst pain ever. It felt like her head was being ripped apart. She slowly uncurled her body and lifted her head while giving a small, pained groan. Her head felt incredibly heavy as did her eyelids. Shakily, she got to her feet and stumbled out of the conservatory. She really needed a lay down, just to give the pain a chance to go away and let herself rest for a bit. She left the conservatory not noticing the knives and forks still stuck firmly in the wall.

* * *

It was some time before Rouge was interrupted. She was laying stretched out on her bed, just staring blankly up at the ceiling, when a small knock came at her door.

"Rouge? Are you awake?" The voice of Jean came through the door.

"Yeah?" Rouge grunted, not bothering to move, not even to look in her friend's direction. The door slowly creeked open and Jean came in.

"I just came to see if you're feeling all right." Jean told her gently as she came further in and stopped by the side of the bed. "Why haven't you been in any of your classes?"

"Classes?" Rouge echoed in confusion. "Classes have already started?" That didn't make sense. She'd only been in her room for an hour or so...Right?

"Classes started at the usual time; nine o'clock." Jean told her.

"What tahme is it now then?" Rouge frowned, letting her head lull to the side so she could look at the older woman.

"Eleven." She answered. Rouge's eyes widened in surprise. It was eleven o'clock? She'd been laying there, just staring up at the ceiling, not moving, for six hours straight? That can't be a good thing and probably not a healthy thing either. "Rouge, you've been acting very odd lately." Jean began to say as she sat down on the edge of the bed, the sudden extra pressure causing Rouge to snap out of her train of thought. "And I'm not the only one who's noticed. Scott, Ororo, Hank, Kurt and the Professor. We're all worried about you..."

"You hear that?" An unfamiliar voice in Rouge's mind suddenly interrupted. "They talk about you behind your back."

"What? Who are you?" Rouge demanded silently.

"...And we were discussing it and we think it'd be for the best..." She heard Jean saying.

"They're plotting against you." The voice in her head came again, ignoring her question. "You can't trust them."

"No! Ya twisting things! They only want what's best for me!" Rouge insisted.

"Doing things behind your back."

"No! Ya wrong! Shut up!"

"They're not your friends."

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"Rouge? Did you hear what I just said?" Jean's voice came back through, the alien voice in Rouge's mind fading away. Rouge realised she was now sitting up, though she couldn't for the life of her remember the actual act of sitting up. Ugh, her head hurt so badly. Those things she was told...They couldn't be true, could they? No! They were her friends. She wouldn't believe it! Couldn't believe it...But what if it had been true? No, she couldn't think like that...But what if it's true? What if... "Rouge?" Jean said again, her eyes shining with concern.

"What?" Rouge bit back suddenly, glaring coldly at Jean.

"Sweetheart, we're worried about you." Jean insisted, her tone now slightly desperate.

"So worried that ya'll talk about me behahnd mah back and make up little plots to get me!" Rouge yelled, swinging her legs off of the side of the bed and standing up. Before Jean could even reply, Rouge had grabbed her coat and flounced out of the room.

As Rouge stomped down the corridors angrily, inside, her mind was chaos. Different voices telling her to do various different things, one main voice influencing her the most. She, herself, was in there somewhere but she was drowned out by everyone else. Too many voices. Not enough room for her. She reached the stairs and jogged down them quickly while pulling her coat on. At the bottom, she saw Scott and Ororo and red anger consumed her once again.

"Rouge? Everything okay?" Ororo asked as the teenager simply blanked them when she passed, a chilling scowl plastered on her face.

"Whah don't ya just ask Jean since ya'll talk about me all the tahme anyway." Rouge spat back, glancing at them both from over her shoulder. As she did so, Kurt suddenly teleported into the room, straight into her path. Not turning to see him in time, Rouge bashed right into him and, not having her gloves on either, managed to get a hefty dose of him. They both gave pained gasps and when Rouge managed to pull herself away, Kurt collapsed and she teleported away, unable to fully control her newly borrowed ability. Ororo immidiately rushed over to the fallen Kurt and Jean finally reached the bottom of the stairs and came to stand at Scott's side. He gave her a concerned frown and she shook her head sadly.

"I think we have a problem." She sighed.

* * *

Ouside, Rouge reappeared just behind the school's front gates. She staggered back awkwardly and bumped into the stone wall that surrounded the perimeter of the school. Letting out a shakey sigh, Rouge allowed herself to slide down the wall until she was sitting on the ground. Her knees came up to her chest and she buried her face behind them, tears begining to slip out of her eyes.

What the Hell had that all been about? One minute she had been listening to Jean, who was being nothing but caring, and then the next thing she knew, she couldn't deny a sudden surge of anger and suspicion and threw a completely un-necessary wobbly. It made no sense, not even to her and she was the one who done it! She didn't know why she had done it. She didn't believe those things she said...So why did she do it? And why did she say them?

"Because yo' were confused chere." A voice, a different voice, suddenly said. Rouge's head shot up and she looked around herself in confusion. Someone had definately spoken to her, but there was no one around.

"Hello?" Rouge called out into the empty surroundings, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

"Bonjour mon cherie." The voice replied. Rouge glanced around herself again. She still couldn't see anyone.

"Erm...Could ya come out where Ah can see ya please?" She asked as she continued to look around.

"Can' do dhat chere." The voice answered.

"Why?"

"'Cause Remy be up here." The voice said again. Rouge tilted her head back to look above but still saw nothing. "Remy mean he be in your head chere." The voice explained more fully, now sounding a little amused.

"Oh." Rouge replied lamely, in her mind now, no longer out loud. "So...Erm...Ah'm guessing Ah absorbed you at some point?"

"Oui chere. Abou' two mont's, t'ree weeks and five days ago to be exact." The voice teased.

"Sahrry." Rouge apologised glumly.

"Don' matter. Remy glad to have dhe oppotunity to ge' to know such a belle femme." The voice complimented, instantly dismissing the aplology.

"Is that your name then? Remy?" Rouge inquired, a faint blush tinging her cheeks from the obvious flirting.

"Oui. Remy LeBeau at your service." The voice introduced and Rouge got the distinct feeling that he bowed while saying it. She had no idea how he'd do that, just being a voice and all. Just then, something suddenly occured to her.

"That voice before! The one when I was talking to Jean..." She began.

"You mean Barry." Remy told her.

"Barry?" Rouge repeated, confused.

"Yeah, Barry. One of dhe truckers who got over friendly wit' you while you were on dhe streets from what Remy can tell." He explained. "He be one Hell of a bastard, but don' yo' worry none chere, Remy keep him away now."

"Whah couldn't ya keep him away in the first place?" She grumbled, forgetting her manners for a moment. Remy only chuckled though.

"Yo' got some mighty strong mental blocks chere. Remy couldn' get t'rough even wit' dhe advantage of slight psychic gifts. But, 'cause your body and mind so exausted now, Remy be able to push his way t'rough to dhe front and protect his chere." He answered.

"Ya a little familiar ain't ya Swamp rat?" Rouge chided in an annoyed voice but she couldn't stop the grin which spread across her lips.

"Spendin' several mont's in a person's head can do dhat to a homme." Remy told her, also with a grin. "And why'd yo' call Remy a Swamp Rat?" He asked, his voice sounding pouty. "He been not'ing but nice to yo'."

"Cause you are a Swamp Rat." Rouge retorted good naturdly. And she laughed. The first genuine laugh for months and Remy knew this. Remy knew she was feeling better at that moment than she had for months and he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. He might only be a shadow of the mind in his true self but he was still his own person and, as long as Rouge was alive, so were the others in her mind including himself. Rouge's laugh eventually faded and she gave a tired sigh as she let her head lull back to lean against the wall. "Ah guess Ah should go back in and face the music." She whispered sadly, her eyes drifting shut.

"No, no' yet chere. Yo' need to take a break, relax a little. You're not ready to deal wit' ot'ers yet." Remy advised.

"Ah'm dealing with you ain't Ah?" She muttered in reply.

"Yo' need some time away." Remy continued, ignoring her comment. "Jus' to get your t'oughts toget'er. Why don' yo' go shoppin'? Shippin' always makes you feel better." He suggested, knowing almost everything about the girl who's mind he was in.

"Nah. Ah don't lahke going shopping on mah own." Rouge told him.

"Yo' no' gon' be on your own. Remy gon' be wit' yo'." He reminded.

"It's not really the same..." She began to protest.

"Look, how much moneyyo' have?" He interrupted her. Rouge dug around inside her coat pocket. She pulled out a pair of gloves and rested them on top of her knees before pulling out her purse from the same pocket.

"Twenty-fahve dollars and sixty-eight cents." She counted out.

"Dhat be plenty. Listen chere, yo' need a break and Remy know yo' like shoppin'. Yo' don' like goin' wit'out company so Remy stick around wit' you. He even willing to help yo' pick somet'ing pretty out." He insisted. Rouge found herself smiling at the obvious flirting. It was nice to be flirted with, even if it was only with a voice in her head.

She gave a sigh and looked down at the open purse in her hand. Why shouldn't she? Why shouldn't she go shopping? Sure, her only company would be a voice inside her head but that didn't matter too much did it? It was at least making the best of a bad situation. And she didn't want to go back into the school and have to face everyone and explain herself. Not yet anyway. She wasn't ready. Didn't know what to say. No, she'd go shopping for a couple of hours instead. Cheer herself up and, who knows, maybe even get to know this Remy character in her head a bit better as well.

"Okay, Ah'll go shoppin'. But Ah don't wanna hear any complaints that ya getting bored. This was your idea remember?" She ordered as she got to her feet and brushed the dust off of the back of her coat.

"Dhat's fine. Jus' as long as Remy don' have to carry dhe bags chere." He grinned as she headed off down the street.

"Funny." Rouge muttered.

* * *

Jean stood in the main entrance hall of the school. She tightly held the reciever of the phone which rested on the side table in front of her to her ear. She nervously fiddled with the twirly, stretchy cord between her fingers and waited with baited for the other end to be answered. Suddenly, she perked up and cleared her throat.

"Hi, it's me...I'm good thanks. How about you? Having any luck?...Oh well, I'm sure things will pick up soon...Yeah...Erm, depends who you mean by 'everyone'...Mostly, everyone is good...Well, there's, erm, there's a problem with Rouge...We don't know yet...Yeah, I think that would be best...Okay, see you soon...Bye."

Jean hung up the phone and walked away.

* * *

And there we have chapter one. Ooo, who was Jean ringing? (Probably really obvious) And what will Rouge buy? (Shouldn't think most people actually care about that bit lol)So? What do we all think? Let me know kay? Love to hear from you all. Well, I'm off to start chapter two now. Catch ya'll next time :)

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone :)

It was nice to hear from so many of you. I don't think I've ever had such a big response for a first chapter before :) I'm glad you all found last chapter intriguing for various reasons. As always, I have some replies to all you lovely people:

enchantedlight: Glad you're liking it. Hope the update was quick enough.

ishandahalf: Thanks for pointing out the typo lol. You're the only one who said anything. I went back and corrected it. Glad you're enjoying the story.

taiyoukai-chan: I love your name. So kawaii :) Rogue and remy are soooo meant to be together aren't they? lol. Glad you're getting the humour. I've got a weird sense of humour so I thought I'd be, like, the only one laughing at it. Anyway, thanks for the review. Hope the update came quick enough for ya.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Hope this update came soon enough for ya. As for if the actual Remy will show up, you'll just have to wait and see :D

EmeraldKatsEye: I was thinking about keeping Jean dead, (even though she isn't really dead in the movies either) but I decided to keep her in, just for the Hell of it.

hesquidor: Ooo, cool name. And you're insane. A bit like me really :D I'm glad that you agree that this is an original concept. I do like to have my little burts of originality sometimes :) As for having Remy in the flesh...Well, you'll just have to see what happens won't you:)

Silverbell914: Glad you're liking it and you're just gonna have to wait to see if the real Remy shows up :)

Green Bird 2071: Oh don't you worry, there will be lots and lots of fluff in this story :)

Weapon X 61: A sudden urge to buy a trenchcoat? LOL. That made me laught out loud when I read that :)

MeWhoExactlyWhat: Yay! I got someone hooked :)

As you will notice, I have taken some of the interactions of Scott and Logan from the second movie because a) I like them and b) They just fit so good :)

Okay, that's me done talking for now. How ya'll enjoy chapter 2 :)

* * *

Bein' a memory in someone's mind isn' exactly a grea' experience, bu' it could be worse. Marie be a sweet femme and good company. She laughs at Remy's jokes and teases back when he teases her. But it's underneat' dat counts. Underneat' she a scared girl who jus' needs someone to lis'en to her, who jus' needs to be aroun' someone who not gon' flinch whenever she ge' close to dhem. Maybe Remy can' give her everyt'ing she needs righ' now, but he gon' try his hardes' to help her out. Remy may only be a voice in her head, but he be the sweetest voice in her life.

* * *

"Ah don't know." Rogue sighed silently as she stepped out of the dressing room in a fancy boutique and observed herself in a full length mirror on the wall in front of her. "It shows a bit too much skin don't ya think?" 

"Bu' it does lookreally good on you chere." Remy pointed out.

Rogue sighed again and continued to look herself over. She'd been out now for about three hours now, having only the voice of Remy for company. She couldn't deny that it'd been fun though. They'd learnt a lot about each other. She found out that Remy was a thief mostly because it was a family thing even though he was adopted. She found out a lot of little things and some bigger things as well. And Remy was actually really good company even if he was a little pushy at times. She probably wouldn't have even bought anything if it wasn't for his insistence. He convinced her to buy a new set of sketching pencils, telling her that keeping occupied was a good way to keep her mind off of the voices. He also got her to buy a pretty, dark magenta chiffon scarf saying it would come in handy when she met the right person. Rogue had immediately dismissed that idea as ridiculous but bought the scarf anyway, mostly just to shut Remy up about it. Now, she was modelling a very nice, though very showy dress.

"And look at that price tag Remy! Ah'd never be able to afford this no matter hah hard Ah saved." She continued to protest as she held the small price tag between her fingers.

"Well, jus' ask dhis Logan guy for a loan. He'd give i' to yo', Remy can tell." He told her and immediately regretted it as Rogue's mood plummeted. The last thing she wanted that moment was to think of Logan and she definitely didn't want to chase him up for money. She could live with the fact she was no longer a priority for him but she wasn't going to chase after him and ask for money like a lost puppy.

"No." Rogue said simply, slipping back into the changing room and beginning to change. Silence from both.

"Marie?" Remy said after a moment. She didn't reply. "Remy touched a nerve dhere didn' he?"

"Whah do you always refer to yahself in third person?" Rogue muttered, trying to divert him from the topic.

"You don' wan' talk 'bout i' chere?" He asked.

"Wow, ya're sharp." She grunted in reply as she pulled her jumper back on.

"Why no'?" Remy continued to pry.

"Look, you wanna know about Logan so bad? Just look around mah head! Nothing stoppin' ya." She snapped at him, finally dressed.

"Dhe fact yo' upset chere is stoppin' Remy." He answered seriously as Rogue practically shoved the dress into an assistants hands. "Remy gon' respec' your privacy if dhat's what his chere wants."

Roguehadjust got outside ofthe boutique she had been in when Remy said that. She sighed sadly and her shoulders sagged. Why was she being like this? Remy was trying to be nice and help her and she just kept shooting him down. She had to try and perk up a bit. They were stuck together and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she just had to be a bit more open and a little less uptight. She still stood outside the boutique and Remy hadn't spoken again. She was surprised to find she actually missed the constant droning of his voice.

"Don't suppose ya know a place where Ah can get decent cup of coffee do ya?" Rogue inquired tiredly as a way to make peace. She knew of places herself but that wasn't the point. It was an ice breaker and starting a conversation herself was kinda like a weird way to say sorry.

"O' course. Remy know dhis city like dhe back o' his hand. Did he ever tell yo' 'bout dhe time..." And with that, the ice was officially broken. Remy began chattering away again and Rogue didn't deny it. She preferred Remy making noise rather than being silent.

* * *

The familiar sound of a roaring motorbike could be heard speeding towards the school from even inside the building. Jean came out of the front entrance and stood out a little. She didn't move until the bike had pulled up and stopped and it's rider got off. 

"When I said I'd see you soon I didn't think it'd be this soon." Jean said with a weak smile as she approached the rider who pulled off the helmet they wore to reveal the face of a very cheesed off Logan.

"Where is she?" He simply asked, ignoring Jean's attempt at niceties.

"We're not sure." She admitted awkwardly.

"She isn't here!" Logan all but yelled.

"She accidentally absorbed Kurt and teleported away. The Professor's trying to find her using Cerebro." She explained. That was enough information for Logan and he hurried past Jean and walked into the school. "Logan, where are you going?" She called after him.

"To find out where she is." He called back. Jean quickly followed him in and they began to head towards Cerebro. They walked in silence for a while until Logan spoke up. "So what happened?"

"We're not totally sure. She's been a bit off for a while now, but she won't tell us what's wrong." Jean explained. "She didn't come to any of her classes this morning and when I went to check on her she got really angry and stormed out. That's when she bumped into Kurt and we lost her."

"Well, well. Look who's back." Ororo's cheerful voice came from just ahead.

"Hey Storm." Logan grunted in greeting.

"How's Kurt doing?" Jean inquired as Ororo joined them in heading to the lower levels of the school. They got inside on of the lifts and began to go down.

"Still out but Hank says he's fine." She answered.

"Who's Hank?" Logan inquired.

"He's an old friend of the Professor's and our new doctor. Calls himself Beast. You can't miss him." Ororo explained. Just then, the lift stopped and the doors opened. The three adults stepped out and headed down the silver corridor to Cerebro. "I also asked Hank about Rogue. He said he couldn't be sure but it sounds like she has some of the symptoms of schizophrenia."

"You mean she's ill?" Logan checked.

"We don't know for sure yet." Ororo told him, trying her best to sound reassuring. "We'll have to wait until we know where she is so we can pick her up and bring her back. Hank'll look her over and we'll get a better idea of what's wrong."

They carried on walking for a few more moments in silence, all preoccupied with their own thoughts, until they came to the entrance of Cerebro. Scott was already waiting outside, slouched against the right hand wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"Anything?" Jean asked once they reached him.

"Don't know. He hasn't come back out yet." Scott answered. His gaze fell onto Logan and he raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're back then." He said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah, well, Jean knows who to call when there's trouble." Logan replied casually. "Oh yeah, you're bike needs filling up again." He smirked, pulling the bike's keys out of the pocket of his leather jacket and tossing them over to Scott. Scott caught them easily and it was clear that behind his visor, his eyes visibly darkened.

"So do like you did last time. Fill her up." He retorted, slinging the keys back to the older man. Logan caught them as easily as Scott had and grinned in amusement. Jean and Ororo glanced at each other and each thought the same thing. Men!

* * *

After following Remy's directions, Rogue found herself in front of a small cafe located in a shady part of town she wouldn't normally be in. She hesitated for a moment outside, still debating whether to go in or not. 

"If yo' waitin' for an invitation chere, you'll find you'll be waitin' a lon' time." Remy said, breaking off from his story about the time he took down ten security guards single handedly.

"Ah don't know abaht this." Rogue sighed, staring at the grey painted outside and the one large window with "Joe's" painted across it. "Is this really a, ya know, safe environment?"

"Yo' implyin' somet'ing 'bout dhe places Remy like to go chere?" Remy teased.

"Ah'm just sayin' it looks a little rough." She justified, oblivious to the fact she was just standing there in front of the door to the cafe and looking rather strange.

"You'll be jus' fine chere. Trust Remy on dhis one." He encouraged.

Rogue's shoulders sagged in defeat before she squared them and straightened up in an attempt to gain some confidence. She stood there for another moment before pushing the cafe door open and stepping in. She glanced around herself a little nervously and began to take in her surroundings. It was bigger than she thought it was going to be as it was obviously a rather long building instead of being wide. It was quite gloomy though it was a sophisticated gloom rather than a dingy gloom. For being quite a large room, it was pleasantly warm. There were several little tables dotted around the place, each one lit with it's own little orange lantern which she couldn't tell if they were electric or not. Where the light didn't reach the corners and such, was where the suspicious looking characters sat and Rogue made a note to avoid those areas. The large counter at the back of the room was the best lit area and there were several stools there for people to sit on.

"Go sit by dhe counter, talk to Joe a bit." Remy said, sounding enthusiastic. Rogue cringed a little. She had been planning on sitting alone somewhere a little more secluded. However, she noted Remy's tone and considered it. Maybe Remy wanted to hear the voice of a friend he wouldn't have seen since he got stuck in her head. He'd been so great about everything. The least she could do was let him hear an old friend talking. So, with that in mind, Rogue headed over to a stool and hopped up on t, settling her bags down by her feet. She shifted around a little until she was comfortable and then sat still.

"What can I get you?" A huge, burly man, who Rogue figured was Joe, asked her once she'd stopped fidgeting.

"Cup of decaffe. Oh, and one of those chocolate muffins." She replied, noticing the cake display just to the side halfway through her sentence.

"Haven't seen you before." Joe said in a deep but friendly voice. "What's a sweet little thing like you doing in a place like this?"

"A...Friend, told me abaht this place." Rogue answered, stumbling over what to refer to Remy as. "Ah was just passing and thought Ah'd check it out..." She finished as Joe placed a plate with a muffin on it in front of her on the counter.

"A friend hmm? Anyone I'd know?" He inquired as he poured some coffee into a large mug.

"Remy Lebeau." She told him as he placed the mug down next to her plate. He looked up at her suddenly, looking rather startled.

"Remy told you about this place?" Joe checked.

"Yeah." She confirmed casually as she grabbed a few little packets of sugar from a nearby bowl which was full of them. She tore open one and poured the contents into her mug and then repeated with another one. "Whah? Is that strange?" She asked, pausing her actions and looking up as a hint of suspicion began to niggle away at her.

"Well, I've known Remy a long time, but out of the six years he's been coming here regularly, you're the only girl he's ever told about this place to. He's always said it's his little Haven away from everyone else. He must be really smitten with you, that's all I can say." He explained, his last comment causing Rogue to choke on the sip of coffee she had in her mouth. She sat there coughing for a few moments longer before laughing.

"Oh no. Itain't lahke that. We're just friends." She corrected, a broad smile still on her face.

"A pretty, young girl who's just a friend to Remy LeBeau? Now that's something I never thought I'd say." Joe laughed.

"Doesn't Remy have many girl friends then?" Rogue inquired as she broke a chunk off of her muffin.

"Oh no, he's got a lot of 'girl friends'." Joe grinned, using his fingers to make air quotes. "Only problem is, he has them all at the same time if you catch what I mean."

"That a fact?" Rogue replied with a sly grin of amusement. "He failed to mention that part about himself to me."

"Now, don't get me wrong, Remy's a good man. He's just got a little commitment problem. Shies away from it." Joe gossiped.

"Remy resent dhat!" Remy's voice suddenly cried in Rogue's mind. "Remy don' have a commitment complex. He can' help it if dhe femmes can' resis' him."

"Would ya shut up? Ah'm trahin' to listen to Joe." Rogue muttered silently. Remy however, continued complaining about slander and vicious rumours but did lower his voice so it was easier to ignore.

"...And he told me once," Rogue refocused halfway through a story obviously. "He told me that if he told even one girl about this place, the news would spread like wildfire and then there'd be girls in here all the time looking for him."

"Dhat quote been taken completely out of context!" Remy exclaimed.

"Ah told ya to hush." Rogue reminded him sharply before concentrating on Joe again. "So Remy's quite the player huh?" She asked Joe, trying to hold back a fit of giggles.

"He sure is. In fact, there was this one time when he was seeing this girl Belle at the same time as he was seeing..." Joe began to tell her.

"Excuse me." Another customer said at the other end of the counter.

"I'll be back in a minute." Joe assured her before heading over to the other customer. Rogue went back to her food, a cool grin on the outside but on the inside she was cracking up with laughter.

"So ya ain'tas honourable as ya were makin' out. A thief who lies? Who'd have thahght it?" Rogue giggled to Remy.

"Remy not really dhat bad." He insisted.

"No, of course not. Ah imagine ya probably worse." She grinned as her laughter began to subside.

"Can we talk abou' somet'ing else now?" He whined in such a pathetic tone that it Rogue started laughing again.

"Okay, we'll talk abaht something else." Rogue agreed, calming down once again. "Ah've been thinking abaht how it miaht've happened. Ya know, the whole absorbin' ya thing. Ah can't figure it aht though. Ah mean, the day that Ah think it must've happened by what you told me, Ah was at some pro-mutant protest that Jubilee dragged me to."

"Wai'...Dhat actually sound kinda familiar." Remy pondered.

"What was a Swamp Rat lahke you doin' at a protest?"

"Dhere's always a lot of crowds at dhem kinda t'ings. Remy was jus' seizing dhe opportunity." He replied.

"Ya were pick-pocketing weren't ya." Rogue accused playfully.

"A homme gotta make a livin' somehow chere." Remy shrugged. Rogue laughed and just asshe was about to reply, she realised there were three men now surrounding her. A small frown graced her features as she slowly swivelled around to face them. Her frown deepened at the sensation of deja vu that washed over her at the sight of the three men. They looked really familiar.

"Can Ah help you?" Rogue asked cautiously.

"Marie! Leave now!" Remy ordered harshly.

"Heard you say yo' friends wit' Remy LaBeau?" The guy right in front of her, with a blonde ponytail and bead necklace around his neck, checked.

"Deny it." Remy instructed.

"Yeah, Ah'm a friend of his." Rogue confirmed, ignoring Remy's advice. "Whah d'ya wanna know?"

"I was jus' hopin' you'd be good enough to give him dhis message." The man grinned before backhanding Rogue across the cheek with his gloved hand, the resounding crack of the impact silencing the cafe. Rogue pressed the back of her own gloved hand against her sore cheek and glared up at the man. "You tell Remy dhat Juli wanna have a talk wit' him." The man, Juli, sneered as he bent down to her eye level.

"Okay, Ah'll tell him." Rogue said with false innocence. "But ya know what? Ah think Ah already know what his reply's gonna be. So whah don't Ah save us all some tahme and just give it to ya now!" Rogue continued, her voice loosing it's innocent appeal and gradually getting louder as she went on. The moment she finished, she clenched her fist and punched Juli squarely in the jaw sending him stumbling back in surprise. She leapt up from her seat before the other two men could react and elbowed them both in the ribs as hard as she could. Then, all Hell broke loose.

Joe and a few others began to help Rogue, several others began to help Juli and everyone else just ran away from what was essentially a free for all. Rogue tried to just concentrate on fighting but it wasn't easy with the pain in her swelling cheek increasing and Remy yelling orders at her. She'd managed to get a few more punches and kicks in without getting hit herself, though at one point her right glove snagged on something and most of it ripped off. She didn't want to reveal herself as a mutant just in case everyone turned against her so she contented herself with punches and kicks.

After a while, she began to tire badly and this left her open. Just as she knocked one guy away, Juli snuck up behind and grabbed her before she even realised he was there. Juli slammed her up against a wall and held his forearm across her neck. Rogue gave a choked gasp as her breath was cut off and immediately began to struggle.

"Maybe Remy'll get dhe message when he finds your dead body sittin' by his front door." He growled as he leaned in closer, adding more pressure to her neck.

"Marie, grab dhat bead necklace 'round his neck wit' your righ' hand." Remy ordered her desperately. Rogue quickly reached forward but found her arm wasn't long enough to actually allow her to take hold of the necklace. She allowed her arm to drop and hung her head in desperation. "C'mon Marie. Jus' touch it wit' your finger tips. Jus' have skin contact wit' it." He urged her on. Rogue stretched her arm out again, trying to ignore the faintness which had started to wash over her. She stretched as hard as she could and eventually managed to touch the bead necklace. Her finger then began to tingle and, opening her eyes, she saw the beads begin to glow red. "Now take your hand off!" Remy instructed frantically. Rogue let her hand drop and the beads began to crackle.

Juli gave a cry of surprise as the beads around his neck began to get unbearably hot. He staggered back, releasing Rogue. She took in a sharp gasp and caught hold of the wall with one hand to keep herself up. She looked up to see Juli grabbing at the necklace as the beads flared and burned. She looked down at her right hand in disbelief.

"Hah...?" She murmured, totally forgetting the situation she was in.

"Girl! Watch out!" Joe's voice came across the room. Rogue looked up to see what he was warning her about just as she was whacked in the side by a stool with such force that it knocked her onto the floor. She went down hard and bashed her head on the corner of a table as she fell, dazing herself badly. She then remained sprawled out on the floor, knowing and wanting to get up but not having the strength or the co-ordination to actually do it.

"Marie! Get up!" Remy yelled. Rogue could only groan in response. "Yo' have to ge' up!" He told her, getting more desperate when he saw, through Rogue's hazy vision, a set of approaching Juli feet. "Las' chance to ge' up." He warned. When Rogue only groaned again, Remy knew there was no other choice.

The same blinding, sharp pain Rogue had felt that morning was suddenly invading her head again. She curled up on the floor and let out a sob of pain. It hurt so badly. She grabbed clumps of her hair in her hands and gave another sob as the pain increased. Like before, unfamiliar memories began to filter through her mind. The pain in her head suddenly pulsed, but before she could cry out, she vanished from the chaotic cafe in a puff of wispy, black smoke.

* * *

Ooooooo! Could that count as a cliffy? I think it could on some levels :) I know this chapter has been put up really quickly but it probably won't be this quick al lthe time. I start school again on the 4th so that'll eat up some of my time. Oh well, I'll do my best :)  
Hope you all liked this chapter. As always, let me know what ya all think. Catch ya'll later :)

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone :)

More reviews! How I love them :) I have replies as always:

WelshChicky: Glad you're liking the action so far :)

firestorm13: Lol, yay, a fellow ROMY nutter, like myself :D

hesquidor: Thanks for pointing out the typos :) I do check the chapters through a couple of times but something always seems to slip through. Glad you want me to write more and keep up the insanity, makes life far more interesting :)

Cult-of-Misha: That is a good point and there is an explanation in this chapter about Rogue using other people's powers so who knows? That might be possible.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Glad ya liked the chappie so much :)

Weapon X 61: More you say? You want more? Well...I think I can arrange that :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked the chapter and I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Freak87: Ooo, nice long review. Glad you're liking the ficcy. I figured Rogue does have a little stubborn streak in her and I mean, if you had three guys surrounding you who you were sure you knew but didn't know from where, you'd wanna find out wouldn't ya? Well, I would lol :D

MeWhoExactlyWhat: Pleased to hear you liked the chapter :)

ishandahalf: Ooo, I got ya giggling :) I like making people laugh so that's all good.

IvyZoe: Wow, it's your new favourite story? Thank you :) I'm glad you're liking it so much.

Green Bird 2071: Oooo, another nice long review. I love them so much :) I'm glad you approve of the ROMY moments. I love them as well. Believe me, there will be a whooooole lot in the future :D

taiyoukai-chan: LMAO! I loved your review! It made me laugh so much. I can't agree more with you about Logan being obsessed with Jean. Really, really bugs me. I hope this chapter is funny enough to meet your high expectations :D

agent V.V.: Glad you're liking the story and am also glad you think I'm getting Rogue and Remy right :)

Invincible Sword Goddess: Glad you're liking the story and as for your question, which is a good question; a) Rogue doesn't always take on the voices and b) I didn't really want that whole conversation to take place with her using the accent. So, a bit of me for the reason and also a bit of sense :D

Wow, lot of reviews there. But I don't care because I love hearing from you all. Getting a lot of positive feedback which is really motivational )  
Okay, this chapter is mostly a rest chapter. Not much plot but a few explanations of things and some humour as well, just to lighten the mood. This was originally gonna be a lot longer but I realised it would just be too long so I split it into 2 chapters.

Well, that's all from me for now. You can go ahead and enjoy chapter three now :)

* * *

The pain is indescribable. The best Ah can do is compare it to a feeling lahke your head is gonna explode unless you relieve some of the pressure. All common sense goes rahght aht the window and you resort to animal instincts. Clawing, grabbing, tryin' to get at whatever it is that's causing the pain to make it go away. But the pain's insahde mah head where Ah can't get at it. All Ah can do is wait for the release and hope that it will come eventually.

* * *

The silence of an empty alleyway near the cafe was suddenly broken by the "bamphf" of Rogue reappearing. With her hands still holding her head in pain, she staggered against the rough brick wall at her side for support. She remained leaning against it for a while, quiet tears streaming down her cheeks, her mind silent. Eventually, the pains in her head began to fade and her tears calmed until they were both gone.

"Remy?" Rogue's mind whispered weakly.

"Remy still here chere." His voice replied softly.

"What happened to me?" She asked as she lowered her hands from her head and hugged herself.

"Yo' needed to ge' away, so Remy brought down dhe barriors dhat keep dhe ot'ers comin' t'rough so yo' could use dheir borrowed powers." He explained, a strange soothing sensation sweeping through her as he spoke. "Dhe chargin' of dhe beads so dhey exploded was anot'er one of Remy's powers."

"Ah teleported." Rogue murmured. "Hah is that possible? It's been hours since Ah last touched Kurt and even longer since Ah last touched you. Whah do Ah still have both your powers?"

"Yo' keep all dhe powers from dhe ones yo' absorb jus' as yo' keep dheir memories. Dhey're harder to draw out dhough and get pushed back into the subconcious very quickly." Remy told her as her vision cleared and she was once again able to get her bearings.

"Good, then Ah can use Logan's healing powers so that not so much of me hurts." Rogue muttered.

"Remy don' t'ink dhat be a good idea chere." He warned her. "You don' have enough control yet."

"Look, who is whose head?" She snapped back at him. "Now are ya gonna help me or do Ah have to do it on mah own?"

"Okay. Remy will help yo', but jus' remember dhat he warned yo'."

"Fahne. Whatever." She replied irritably. She heard Remy give a sigh and then nothing. Then everything was pain. Her entire world suddenly became white hot pain. She fell to her knees with an agonising scream and clutched her head which, by pure instinct, she knew was where the pain was coming from. "Remy! Make it stop!" She screamed silently as she just screamed outside. In a flash, the pain was gone. "What...What the Hell was that?" Rogue gasped as she shakily got back to her feet

"Dhat was wha' Remy was tryin' to warn yo' 'bout chere. Unless dhe person be near dhe front, it takes more effor' and control to ge' dhem to come forward. Dhe more effor' and control dhat needs to be put in, dhe more it hurts." He explained gently. "Dhe Wolverine be pretty far back in your mind chere and even wit' yo' wanting to bring him forward, it's gon' take a lot of effort and even more control to safely brin' him forward enough to use his abilities. But, wit' practice, you can learn dhe control and brin' dhem forward wit'out hurtin' yourself and dhen use dhem at your will."

"If it's gonna hurt that bad, Ah'm not sure Ah wanna bother." Rogue groaned, her head still resting in her hand. "Anyway, Ah don't wanna think abaht it nah. All Ah want is to lay down somewhere warm and soft and sleep for the next six months. But don't think this is getting ya off the hook Remy LeBeau! The moment Ah'm feeling better, Ah want answers abaht what just happened and Ah mean everything, not just the stuff abaht me."

Rogue reached the end of the alley and glanced to her sides to make sure everything was safe. Satisfied that she wouldn't be jumped or anything, she stepped out of the shadows of the alley and began to make her way back to the school on uncertain legs.

* * *

The afternoon lessons at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were cancelled and the majority of the students were sent out to search for Rogue. The Professor was still in Cerebro and the only contact he'd made was to instruct the teachers to send out search parties to all of Rogue's known favourite places. Logan, impatient as ever, had gone back out to scour the neighbourhood for any sign of her. After hours of having no luck, he gave up and went back to the school, only to find all the teachers, now also joined by Kurt and Hank, were still waiting outside of Cerebro.

"Still nothing?" Logan asked as he approached them. Jean shook her head in reply.

"I don't understand why it's taking him so long." Ororo sighed, staring down at her shoes.

"It took so long because I wasn't able to find her." The Professor said as the doors of Cerebro opened and he came out.

"What do you mean you weren't able to find her?" Logan asked in an overly controlled voice.

"I can't trace her. She just doesn't seem to be anywhere." The Professor sighed.

"But that isn't possible unless she's..." Jean left the sentence hanging. A heavy blanket of dread suddenly filled the atmosphere as they each realised what Jean hadn't said.

"I'm going back out there." Logan grunted, turning to stalk off down the corridor.

"I was wondering Professor." Hank spoke up causing Logan to stop out of curiosity. "Could your attempts to locate Rogue be hindered because of the presence of a mental illness?"

"I don't know, but it may be a possibility. Why do you ask Hank?" The Professor inquired.

"Well, from the events which were described to me by those who were there, Rogue seems to be displaying some of the early syptoms of schizophrenia." Hank answered.

"That's impossible." Logan dismissed. "Rogue isn't going mad."

"I'm not saying she is. I am merely saying that it's a likely possibility that we must consider..." Hank started to say but was cut off by Logan's claws suddenly springing out a little too close to his face.

"Marie is not turning into a nut case." Logan growled angrily. "And if I want your opinion, I'll ask for it 'Hank'."

"Logan, that's enough..." Scott said stepping towards him but stopped dead when Logan glared at him.

"Keep out of this Scooter." He warned darkly as his eyes moved back onto Hank. Before anything else could happen though, the sound of the lowering lift reached their ears. The three men quickly got into natural positions before a girl came into view. They all watched her as she approached them, making her feel a little self-concious.

"Sorry to interrupt." She said politely as she reached them.

"That's quite all right Amara." The Professor assured her.

"I just thought you might want to know that Rogue's back."

* * *

Rogue had half listened to Remy explain things as she had walked back to the school. He told her that using the powers of others in her mind needed a great deal of control which she didn't have at the moment. The reason it had hurt so much when she teleported was because her mind wasn't used to bringing such large chunks of people forward so quickly. She'd need to develop her control a lot more so when she did want to use another's powers, she could bring them forward more slowly, thusly dispelling the pain. He also said something about being able to keep the blocks up while she slept but only being able to do it for a few hours at a time. From what Rogue picked up, it was too great a strain on her mind to support Remy for a whole night since the sub-concious is so much more active while you sleep. She'd only be able to sleep for four hours at the most before having to wake up to give her mind time to rest. She didn't really care about that part though. She was just so thankful for the hope of getting some sleep for any number of hours.

When Rogue reached the front gates of the school, she had, had every intention of simply sneaking back in and heading straight to her room and crawling into bed. However, her intentions obviously didn't count for anything because the moment Kitty and Jubilee saw her they started hovering around her like over-protective mothers. They had instantly ushered her into the sitting room and began "taking care of her" as they liked to put it. Rogue liked to call it "poking her in tender spots and dabbing at her with cotton wool balls", which was what they were doing now. Jubilee was cleaning the cut she had got when she hit the corner of the table while Kitty was trying to examine her without actually touching her.

"Ugh, I can't believe some people! I mean, so what if you're a mutant? Doesn't mean you've got some contageous disease which is gonna wipe out the entire human population." Jubilee muttered, refering to the lie Rogue had told them. Instead of telling the truth she had simply said she was attacked by a group of mutant haters. The truth was too complicated to explain and she didn't have the energy right at that moment. "I mean, what kind of world do we live in where it isn't even safe for a normal looking mutant to walk along the street without getting jumped?" She continued to rat as she got a fresh cotton ball from the bag beside her and dipped it into the large bowl of lukewarm water that was resting on Rogue's lap.

"Someone did go and get the Professor right?" Kitty checked in order to stop Jubilee from going into a human rights speech. As if taking cue from Kitty's words, Kurt suddenly teleported into the room. Unfortunately, the sudden appearance startled Jubilee who jumped back a little and bumped into Rogue, upsetting the bowl of water and also knocking into her tender side.

"Jubilee!" Rogue hissed with a gasp of pain and dismay as the bowl overturned and completely soaked her from the stomach downwards.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rogue! Let me get you a towel." Jubilee insisted before quickly running out of the room. Rogue wrinkled her nose in distaste at her now soaked lower body. She was still looking down at her wet clothes when she felt someones eyes on her. Slowly, she shifted her gaze up to meet that of Kurt's.

"Vhat happened?" He gasped, a concerned and horrified expression on his face. Rogue dropped her eyes to her lap, her hair falling around her to cover her face as she did, and didn't answer. She felt so guilty about what had happened that morning still and she couldn't being herself to continue looking at him when he was so concerned about her. It made her feel too bad.

"She got jumped by a bunch of anti-mutant jerks." Kitty answered for Rogue thinking her friend wasn't answering herself out of embarrassment. "I'm gonna get another bowl of water." She informed them both as she took the bowl from beside Rogue and left the room. Rogue discreetly watched Kitty go before tilting her head up a little and looking up at Kurt from behind her hair.

"Ah'm sahrry." Rogue murmured, her gaze falling back down to her lap.

"For vhat?" Kurt asked gently.

"This mornin'. Ah'm sahrry Ah knocked you aht."

"Oh, it's quite all right. It vas as much my fault. I misjudged vhere I entered. Plus, I vas just being nosey. You know vhat a snoop I can be." He replied with a smile. Rogue peeked up at him and gave a small smile in return and for that moment, everything was fine. And then:

"Marie!" Logan's voice came as he and the other teachers came in and that was the pleasant moment over. Rogue gave a silent groan and got to her feet, wincing a little as her side ached. Unfortunately, the wince didn't escape the teachers and the scent of her blood didn't escape Logan.

"Oh Rogue...!" Ororo gushed as she and Jean moved up to the younger girl and took over Kitty's and Jubilee's previous job of fussing over her.

"What happened to you?" Scott asked while Jean inspected the cut on the side of her head.

"Attacked by some mutant haters." Rogue answered, keeping her head down.

"You're lying." Logan instantly accused causing everyone except Rogue to turn to him in surprise.

"What makes you say that?" Jean questioned.

"I can smell it all over her." He stated bluntly, causing Rogue to blush behind her hair. All eyes went back to her in anticipation of her reply.

"Rogue?" Ororo prompted her. Rogue scrunched her eyes shut as a dull throb began to ache in her head and took in a deep breath before speaking.

"Ah ain't lyin'." She insisted though her voice sounded nervous and uncertain.

"You are Marie. Now, tell us what really happened." Logan ordered. He moved up so that he stood right in front of Rogue, but then she did something which shocked them all, including herself; She flinched away from him. Rogue felt the several pairs of staring eyes on her and the painful throb in her head increased, as did her uneasiness at Logan's proximity.

"Chere, try an' calm down. Blocks are harder to maintain when yo' panic and dhere be some homme in here who be scared of dhe Wolverine." Remy told her.

"Who is it?" Rogue asked out of curiosity.

"Dunno, but if you don' chill, yo' gon' feel a lot like him in a minute." He informed her.

"Ugh, Ah can't deal with all this at the moment." She groaned silently, only too aware of everyone's eyes still on her. "Ain't there any way to get out of it?"

"Don' worry chere. Remy go' jus' de t'ing. Whatever you feel in dhe next few seconds, jus' go wit' it, kay?" He instructed. A couple of seconds later, Rogue felt the undeniable urge to cry. Of course! For a young girl to get out of any awkward situation, play the sympathy card and turn on the water works. So, following Remy's instruction, Rogue went with the feeling and promptly burst into tears. Then, just to add effect to the poor little girl routine, she threw herself forward into Logan's arms.

Everyone continued to stare at her, still completely stunned. Such a sudden display of emotion was definately not normal for Rogue, especially one so unprovoked and intense. Plus, the fact she had gone straight to Logan conflicted with her flinching away from him only a moment ago. Logan was probably the most shocked of them all. He knew Rogue had genuingly been afraid of him. He had smelt the fear on her. He could still smell it. Yet he was the one who she'd gone to for comfort. Rogue was indeed still feeling anxious about being around Logan but she had gone to him for two reasons. Reason one: To spite herself, she couldn't deny she had missed him while he had been gone. Reason two: It was an extra kick in the teeth for the guy who was trying to weedle his way into her conciousness. Rogue also found that the crying was actually a good release for all the stress and tension in her system and was making her feel a little better.

"I think any further questions should be kept for another time. One when we're all feeling a lot calmer." The Professor eventually suggested to which Rogue gave a mental cheer.

"Dhere you go chere. One awkward situation avoided." Remy grinned.

"How'd you know that'd work?" She queried.

"Remy got a younger sister." He told her. "If anyone gon' know 'bout dhese t'ings it's Remy. Dhey been used on him of'en enough."

Rogue held back a mental laugh at the thought of Remy being manipulated so easily by a little girl but continued to cry on the outside. She became aware of someone gently pulling her away from Logan's chest and she backed away semi-willingly. She then felt a pair of arms come around her the and the shape of the pressure from the hands on her hips told her she was now in the arms on Kurt. Then, all there was, was the familiar nothingness of teleporting.

* * *

End of chapter 3. Hope you all enjoyed it. As always, please review so I can know I'm doing everything to your liking :) Catch you all next chapter.

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	4. Chapter 4

Hi everyone :)

Wow, such a great response again :) Of course, I will reply:

EmeraldKatsEye: Remy's someone she touched long enough to get quite a good dose of him. It'll be explained more fully in a later chapter, most probably the next one :)

IvyZoe: Crocodile tears do work really well don't they:D Glad you're liking the story so far and as for the real Remy...Well, lets just say there may be a little treat at the end of the chapter :o!

Green Bird 2071: I'm glad the update was speedy enough for you :) I aim to please. As for the reason why Remy knows so much, I've explained that in this chapter :)

Freak87: (beep) Hello, and welcome to the Wings of a Dream Customer Help Line. You have made some enquiries about our product and we would only be too happy to help. The first question, we regret to say, cannot be answered. You will just have to be patient and wait. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Your second question can be answered. Rogue talking to Remy is always inside her head unless specified otherwise. We hope that this has been helpful and we also hope that you will continue to enjoy this Wings of a Dream product. Thank you for calling the Wings of a Dream Customer Help Line. Have a nice day. (beep) (goes back to drinking the fifth cup of coffee of the morning O.o)

ishandahalf: Yes, troubling thoughts indeed from our good doctor McCoy. Do they have any grounds? Only time will tell...O.o

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Lots of people liked the Rogue crying bit :) Hope the update came fast enough for you.

Red Eyed Cajun: Ooo, a new reviewer. And you talk just like Remy! Coolies :D Good to hear you enjoyed the chapter.

enchantedlight: Glad you liked the chapter :)

hesquidor: Thank ya very much for the typos :) And it's good to hear you enjoyed the chapter :)

WelshChicky: Tears are a girl's secret weapon :D Glad you're liking the story.

Silverbell914: Hmm, that's a really interesting idea. Not what's gonna happen but it would still be pretty good if it was gonna happen that way :)

MeWhoExactlyWhat: Good to hear this story's keeping you guessing. I hate it when my stuff is predictable :)

Okay, hi again to all. My exams aren't quite over yet but I got sick of studying so I decided to type up this chapter. Glad to know you're all liking the story. This chapter is what was originally gonna be in the third chapter but it would've made it too long so I gave it it's very own chapter :) So, it basically another rest chapter filled with some explanations, funnies and I think I'll put some fluff in here as well. BUT! At the end of the chapter, something comes up which I think will please you all :)

That's enough from me. Let the story begin:

* * *

Things often change. Maybe not always for the better, but change is an inevitable part of lahfe. Ah'm changing raht nah. Ah don't know hah exactly, but Ah know Ah am. Ah feel different abaht people, Ah feel different abaht mahself. Ah can't explain hah Ah know, Ah just do...Do Ah lahke it? No, but what can Ah do? Ah can't stop change, no one can. No matter hah much we may want to.

* * *

Later that evening, when the majority of the school was preparing for bed, Rogue was just waking up. She had been taken up to her room by teleporting with Kurt and had then fallen asleep the moment her head had hit the pillow on her bed. She had slept deeply and peacefully until a sudden pain in her head hit her sharply. Remy explained that it was a sign that her mind was under too much pressure and now she needed to rest it. He had then faded away so he could rest and that unfortunately meant that he couldn't block out the voices like he normally did. So, bearing in mind that her brain wouldn't be able to handle anything too taxing, Rogue decided to spend the next couple of hours listening to music, eating chocolate and doing nothing that required too much brain power.

She hadn't been doing nothing for very long before a knock came at her door. Rogue looked up from staring off into space and turned her gaze to the door. After a second, she took hold of the remote for her CD player and turned it off. Having a mouth full of chocolate at the time and being therefore unable to speak clearly, Rogue slipped off of the bed with a slight wince and padded over to the door. Upon opening it, she found Logan standing on the other side. She mentally gave a small sigh before wordlessly stepping aside to allow him entrance to her room. Once he was in, she gently closed the door until she heard a small click. So much for laying around doing nothing.

"I heard the music so I figured you were awake." He told her, sounding awkward. Rogue gave a slow nod and a small smile in reply...Then silence... "I just came just came to make sure you're all right, but I see the chocolate's out, so..." He joked with a forced grin, to which Rogue responded by giving and equally forced laugh...Another silence, longer this time...

Rouge shifted a little, the silence making her uncomfortable. She knew what Logan really wanted to ask her. He was just too nervous at what her answer would be. She laughed inside at the thought of Logan being nervous about anything. It wasn't normal for him to feel nervous and that in itself was making her feel nervous as well. Plus, she had several voices yelling inside her head and that along with the silence was starting to creep her out.

"Ah don't know whah ya scared me so much earlier." She said suddenly, intent on breaking the silence and getting the main question out in the open. "Ah was still shaken and totally exhausted and Ah guess Ah was kinda confused." She continued weakly, really pouring on the honey and using "poor, innocent Marie" to the fullest. And it worked like a charm and she watched as the big, bad Wolverine practically melted in front of her.

"It was my fault as well kid. I was too hard on ya, considering the situation." He admitted gently. However, that admission of fault was met by another period of silence, one caused again by Logan wanting to ask something but not knowing how. Rogue wasn't going to bring this question forward though. She didn't want to have to lie to him, not again. "Marie...What really happened to you?" He finally asked.

Rouge hung her head down and stared at her bare feet. Could she really tell him the truth? It would be nice to get things out in the open and maybe the others might actually be able to help...No, she couldn't. She didn't want to worry everyone even more and anyway, she was handling okay...Wasn't she? What if she did need some help? What if it was only a matter of time before she cracked under the pressure...Don't be silly! She'd be fine. Voices in her head yelled disagreements and discouraging words at her but she ignored them. There, she thought, that was proof in itself that she could handle everything. But was it something she could keep up? Maybe if...No, she could keep it up. But what if...No! No one needed to know.

"Ah told ya before." She murmured while keeping her head down. "Ah was jumped by a bunch of mutant haters."

"That's the story ya gonna stick with?" Logan checked, giving her one last chance to tell the truth.

"Yeah...Because it's what happened." Rogue answered quietly, her head remaining down. Logan studied her for a moment. She was lying, it was obvious. But without solid evidence, it was her word against his.

"Fine." He grunted eventually, trying his hardest to sound like he wasn't even slightly bothered by Rogue's unwillingness to tell him the truth. He walked across the room, heading back to the door.

Rogue watched his feet go by her own and lifted her head slightly once he was past her. She saw he was opening the door to leave and she felt a pang inside. Was he so disgusted and angry at her for lying that he was going to leave without even saying bye? Would he even talk to her in the morning? Fearing that this would be the case, Rogue decided to try and make peace.

"Naht Logan." She murmured softly. He froze halfway out the door and swivelled his upper body around to look at her. She'd gone back to staring at the floor again.

"G'night Marie." He replied just as softly before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Once the door was closed, Rogue's shoulders sagged and she ran a hand over her face and through her hair. Why was she acting like this? She was being such a jerk! Lying, mood swings. It was all so unlike her. And that moment just then with Logan. That had been awful. She'd felt so uncomfortable throughout and not just because of the constant voices in her head. Just being around him had made her feel antsy, she just didn't know why.

A dull throb began to ache in her head again and she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She'd been thinking too much. She needed to go back to relaxing and eating chocolate. She moved back over to her bed and laid back down, once again wincing. The side of her stomach which had been hit by the stool was still horribly painful. She had checked it when she had first woken up. Her whole side was practically covered in an awful purply-yellow bruise. The cut above her eye stung a little but the small plaster she had over it at least meant it would keep clean and any knocks would hurt less. She shifted into the most comfortable position she could find before relaxing and letting her mind wander away. After an hour or so, without even meaning to, she fell asleep. Unaware of everything except what she was dreaming, two voices were free to talk inside her subconscious.

"How are t'ings goin'?" Remy questioned.

"She's getting worse Remy. Ah don't know hah much longer she's gonna be able to keep things normal." A different, new, voice replied.

"Do you t'ink it time to tell her dhe truth dhen?" he inquired.

"No, Ah've already told you. She can't know anything." The voice reminded. "Trust me, Ah've known Rogue since she was a baby and Ah know how she'll react. If she knows abaht it, she'll think abaht it. If she thinks abaht it, she'll concentrate on it. If she concentrates, it'll be harder to keep the barriers up. It's getting more difficult everyday as it is."

"Wha' if she figures it ou' on her own? Marie's a smart girl. Remy t'ink you sometimes forget dhat." He pointed out.

"Ah won't let her figure it aht. Just keep up the pretence that it's you who knows what to do and it's you helping her and everything will stay fahne. And, if something does go wrong, Ah've got an emergency plan. Speakin' of plans," The voice changed the subject. "We're gonna have to bump Rogue fahnding the real you up the schedule. Ah have to have more help with the barriers and, if everything goes to plan, he'll help, even if it's unconsciously."

"Fine." Remy agreed, though he sounded reluctant. "And anot'er t'ing Remy been meaning to talk to yo' abou'. Why didn' yo' let her tell dhe Wolverine 'bout anyt'ing? Dhe X-men may be able to help her."

"The X-men will treat her like a schizophrenic and pump her full of drugs and that's the last thing she needs. If her system is full of pills and junk then it'll make it harder for me to stay in control." The voice explained. "Whah do ya sound so disgruntled anyway? Ya know Ah'm doin' mah best to save her."

"Remy jus' t'ink you goin' 'bout it dhe wrong way." He replied with a slightly bitter tone.

"Well, Remy don't know half as much as Ah do, so Remy's opinion don't count." The voice shot back, irritated by Remy's dig. "Nah, if ya don't mahnd, Ah have barriers to maintain."

With that, the conversation ended.

* * *

"In dhis life,  
One t'ing counts.  
In dhe bank,  
Large amounts.  
I'm afraid dhese don't grow on trees,  
You've got to pick a pocket or two..."

Rogue groaned out loud as she was woken the next morning by Remy singing loudly in her head. She propped herself up on her right arm and peered at the clock on the table beside her bed. 7:33am.

"Remy, would ya shut up!" Rogue muttered out loud as she sat up, her back slouched over.

"Wha'? Yo' don' like Remy's singing?" He asked in a mock offended tone.

"Not when ya singing a song in ya annoying accent when it's meant to be sung in a nineteenth century English accent." She grunted, again out loud without realising it, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Whah are you singin' a song from Oliver anyway?"

"Oliver be Remy's favourite movie." He told her. Rogue froze in her actions and her jaw dropped a little in disbelief.

"Ya kiddin'..." She said into the silent room as more of a statement than a question.

"No, Remy bein' completely honest. It's been Remy's favourite movie since he was jus' a little boy." He insisted quite seriously. "Seen it more times dhan he can remember. Know all dhe songs by heart."

"Ah don't think Ah'm ever gonna know everything about ya even with ya in mah head." Rogue said good naturdely through a yawn.

"Marie?" Logan's voice came from the door moments before it swung open and he came storming in. Rogue stared at him with wide eyes, rather startled by the sudden appearance, as he glared around the room. "Who were ya talkin' to?" He demanded. Rogue paled as she realised she'd been speaking out loud the whole time. What with Logan's heightened sense of hearing, he must have been able to hear her easily through the thin wall that separated their rooms.

"Ah...Ah wasn't talkin' to anyone." Rogue answered with a slight stutter.

"I heard your voice. You were talkin' about some guy called Oliver." He told her, his voice underlined with a growl. Rogue held back a laugh at the fact Logan thought Oliver was a person.

"Erm...Ah was just...Talkin' to mahself." She made up hesitantly.

"Talkin' to yourself?" Logan repeated with a frown.

"Yeah. Ya know, just thinkin' aht lahd." She confirmed with a small, what she hoped was, casual shrug. Logan looked at her hard before glancing around the room again and giving a few sniffs. After a while, a growl escaped his lips and Rogue wasn't sure which emotion it was supposed to convey. Her guess would've been suspicion or something like that but she had to admit, it hadn't sounded angry or seriously negative. It sounded more like reluctant acceptance, concern and worry.

"You ought to watch it." He grunted to her. "Talkin' to yourself is the first sign of madness." After saying that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Rogue stared after him, not sure how to react. Being told something like that should usually be taken as a joke, but Logan had said it so seriously. Almost like he was actually worried she was really going mad. She continued to stare ahead of herself, lost in melancholy thought, until she heard Remy humming.

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm-hmm-hmmhmm hmm hmm..."

Remy..." Rogue said in a warning tone.

"You've got to pick-a-pocket or two!" Remy suddenly sang in a deep, opera-like voice. Rogue couldn't help laughing at him. She shook her head a little as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got to her feet.

"Ya better not be singing for the rest of the day. Ah've got classes and it'll be hard to concentrate with ya crooning away insahde mah head." Rogue scolded in a playful way.

"Remy be on his best behaviour. T'ief's honour." He pledged.

"Thieves have honour?" She grinned as she headed into the bathroom adjoined to her room. Having deadly skin had it's advantages; a personal bathroom was one.

"Course we do. Yo' never heard of Robin Hood?" He inquired. Rouge smirked at him a little and replied:

"Robin Hood,  
What a crook.  
Gave away,  
What he took.  
Charity's fine, subscribe to mahne.  
Get out and pick-a-pocket or two."

* * *

Rogue found her lessons were surprisingly dull. Even Art had failed to catch her interest. Remy had kept his word and remained silent until Rogue had started to talk to him. She almost immediately regretted it though as he started to try and make her laugh. She had been on the receiving end of some strange looks throughout English and French as she sometimes couldn't stop a giggle escaping. Now, it was lunchtime and Rogue had retreated to a more secluded part of the school gardens so she could laugh without being given funny looks. However, Remy was no longer trying to make her laugh and instead had goaded her into singing songs from Oliver with him. She had objected stubbornly at first but Remy continued to beg her, saying that singing all parts just wasn't the same as singing with others. She eventually gave in, mostly because she was in a bubbly and kinda hyper mood. So, as Rogue pretended to read on the outside, she sang along with Remy on the inside.

"I'll do anyt'ing,  
For yo' dear, anyt'ing.  
For yo' mean everyt'ing, to me.  
I know dhat,  
I'll go anywhere,  
For your smile, anywhere --  
For your smile, ev'rywhere --  
I'd see."

"Would ya climb a hill?"

"Anyt'ing!"

"Wear a daffodil?"

"Anyt'ing!"

"Leave me all ya will?"

"Anyt'ing!"

"Even fahght mah Bill?"

"Wha'! Fisticuffs?  
I'd risk everyt'ing,  
For one kiss - everyt'ing.  
Yes, I'd do anyt'ing..."

"Anything!"

"Anyt'ing for yo'!"

"Rogue?" Hank's voice suddenly interrupted their song. Rogue looked up to see the big, furry doctor standing just in front, towering over her. "May I have a word with you?" He requested.

"Oh! Erm, sure." Rogue agreed, quickly closing her book and scooting up so she was sitting up a bit straighter. Hank sat down on the ground a respectable distance away from her.

"Rogue, the staff and myself have noticed that you've been acting very peculiar recently and what happened yesterday and how you've been acting today hasn't reassured us. You're teachers have been telling me that you've seemed very distracted in your lessons today." He said in his usual calm tone.

"Ah, er...Ah didn't sleep well last naht." Rogue fibbed, trying to ignore the swell of annoyance inside at the new knowledge that the teachers had once again been talking about her behind her back.

"I've also been told that at some points you would start giggling for no apparent reason?" He checked.

"Ah was just remembering something funny Ah saw on TV the other naht." She lied again, her annoyance flaring up a little more. It calmed again quickly though and she went back to just feeling nervous under the steady gaze of Hank. When he hadn't spoken for a few minutes, Rogue went to Remy for reassurance.

"What do ya reckon he wants?" She asked silently as hank began to talk again.

"Maybe he jus' wants to have a talk." Remy suggested.

"Ah'm not sure. It sounds lahke he's gonna go somewhere with this." Rogue sighed, half listening to Remy and half listening to Hank.

"Yo' jus' bein' paranoid chere. Remy's sure..." He began to say but stopped half way through when he and Rogue both heard Hank say something neither expected. "He wants yo' to see a wha'!" Remy gasped.

"Ya want me to see a what!" Rogue basically echoed Remy out loud.

"I want you to have a talk with an old colleague of mine who also works as a councillor." Hank repeated his last sentence for her.

"In other words, ya want me to see a shrink." Rogue grumbled, simplifying what Hank had said. She felt the annoyance flare up again but it quickly turned into anger this time rather than fading. A deep frown formed on her face and inside she began to panic a little. She knew what was going to happen this time. It would be what happened yesterday. So, since she knew what would happen, could she, maybe, somehow prevent it?

"Well, Doctor Makenzie is a psychiatrist, yes, but the Professor and I just thought that you might appreciate talking to someone who you didn't see everyday." He explained.

"Especially if that someone is a friend of yours who'll tell ya everything Ah tell him!" Rogue yelled before getting to her feet and running back towards the school. Upon entering, she charged through the corridors, intent on reaching her room without meeting anyone else. That out burst had been partly forced. It would've come on it's own eventually, but Rogue had wanted to leave while she still had a a certain amount of control left.

Miraculously, she managed to reach her room without coming across anyone else. She shut and locked the door after entering the room before letting herself slide down until she was sitting on the floor, her knees held up to her chest. She took in several deep breaths to calm her panting breathing and after a while, began to feel the anger inside ebb away.

"Dhat was a good show of control cherie. Very impressive." Remy praised gently in her mind.

"That was...Weird, to say the least." Rogue sighed as her head slumped forward tiredly. "Ah thought Ah was too old nah for such serious mood swings."

"It's a side-effect of dhe barriers. Increased emotions. Why'd you t'ink Remy was able to get yo' to sing wit' him so easily? Your emotions are all over dhe place. Plus, wha' wit' ot'ers always tryin' to get t'rough your mind and influencing your t'inking patterns, you're bound to go from a serious high to a serious low in a matter of seconds." Remy said, repeating after the Voice that Rogue couldn't hear.

"Can you believe him though!" Rogue exclaimed as though Remy hadn't even spoken. "They want me to see a shrink lahke Ah'm some sorta suicidal fruit cake!"

"You gon' go alon' wit' it?" Remy inquired sympathetically.

"Guess Ah don't have much of a choice." Rogue murmured, lifting her head and resting it against the door behind her. She closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again and then something caught her eye. Her bedroom window, opposite her, was open. She watched a small gust of wind made the surrounding curtains sway invitingly and a plan began to form in her mind. "But having said that," Rogue grinned as she got up and hurried over to the window, grabbing her coat from it's place on a chair as she went. "If he's comin' today, he's gonna have a wasted journey." She grabbed her purse off of her dressing table and put it in her pocket before climbing up onto it and crawling up to the ledge with a little difficulty due to her stiff and tender side. When she was squatting half out of the window, she looked down below. She reckoned she was a good ten feet away from the ground. Too far to jump and her bed sheets weren't long enough to make a rope that long to climb down. But maybe there was another way... "Remy? D'ya reckon Ah could trah teleporting again?"

"Yo' sure chere?" Remy checked.

"Definitely. Ah'm suddenly in the mood for coffee." She grinned. She could feel Remy grin back at her just before he began to talk her through the process:  
Step 1) Focus and concentrate on the Kurt in her head.  
Step 2) Focus and concentrate on Kurt's teleportation ability.  
Step 3) Visualise where she wanted to reappear and keep the image in her mind.  
Step 4) Do it.  
It seemed simple enough. However, her head began to ache familiarly and it ended up taking her six attempts before she finally got it on the seventh. She vanished with the familiar bamphf and cloud of wispy black smoke and reappeared on the pavement, outside the school grounds, as intended. Unfortunately, she appeared about a foot above the ground and fell back down with quite a bump which painfully jarred her side. However, this slight mishap and the even slighter headache didn't even dent the extremely good mood Rogue was now in and she headed off down the street with a small spring in her step.

* * *

Rogue entered the neighbourhood where Joe's could be found unknowingly, her attention caught up in the game that had developed between herself and Remy. The street was pretty much deserted save herself and the odd passer by.

"Okay, Ah've got one. It's Judgement Day and God gives ya two choices. Ya can either stay in Heaven and be surrounded by bliss, happiness and all that stuff, or ya can go to Hell, be eternally damned, BUT ya do get to thieve and be with as many women as ya lahke. He needs an answer straight awahy and ya have to pick one or the other. Which would ya choose?" Rogue asked through a laugh.

"Hmm...Would dhere be torture in Hell?" Remy inquired.

"Yep."

"What kinda torture?"

"Oh, you know, your basic Satanic torture; poking, prodding, rabid dogs continuously biting ya butt." She listed, unaware of the other person on the pavement heading towards her.

"Hmm..." Remy hummed in though. "Where would yo' be chere?"

"Uh uh. Ya ain't gettin' aht of answering." She chided playfully moments before bumping into the other person on the pavement. "Sahrry." She murmured out loud, not bothering to look to see who it was. The person, a man by the looks of his build, didn't reply which caused Rogue to frown. "Can ya believe that guy? Didn't even have the courtesy to apologise." She muttered to Remy, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets. As she did though, she stopped in her tracks. "Hey! Where's mah purse?"

"Yo' sure yo' grabbed it before yo' left?" Remy asked.

"Yeah. Ah distinctly remember grabbing it and shoving it into mah coat...That guy!" Rogue cried, turning around to see the guy she bumped into further down the street. "No wonder he didn't apologise. He took mah purse and didn't wanna draw attention to himself! Well, he ain't gonna get away with mah money!" And with that said, Rogue ran forward a few steps before vanishing in a wisp of black smoke. She reappeared about a foot in front of the guy and was pleased to find that not only had she appeared with her feet on the ground but she also didn't have even a slight headache.

"Woah! How d'yo' do dhat?"

Rogue's eyes widened and her head whipped up in an instant. Her hands flew up to cover her open mouth and she gasped in surprise and amazement. That brown leather jacket, that messy dark brown hair, those eyes...

"It's you!" She practically yelled, an arm stretching out and pointing. "You're Remy!"

* * *

OMG! Remy has entered the story! (screaming fangirls start to pass out from excitement) He's here! The Cajun Hottie has arrived! And who's that mysterious, anonymous voice in Rouge's head? Are they gonna hurt her or are they there to help? What's gonna happen? Wait and find out! ;)

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream

P.S. One person asked me if Storm is gonna know Remy. I would include it, if I knew how they know each other. If someone could tell me in a review how exactly they know each other, I'd be really grateful :)


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone :) 

Reviews! Wonderful, beautiful reviews! And, I have some wonderful, beautiful replies to your wonderful, beautiful reviews:

taiyoukai-chan: Apologies to you. never sent the e-mal with your review so I never actually got the one for chapter three until I got really bored and checked the actual story itself. Am very angry with them for that! Anyway, you're review made me laugh so much and I'm glad you liked te chapter so much :) Hope you like this one as well.

Freak87: (starts drooling at the massive review) What a biiiiiig review. I love you! I love big reviews! (notices people staring at me oddly. coughs) Anyway, a guess at what the voice in Rogue's head is hmm? Interesting thought. Can't tell you if it's the answer or not though because, well, it'd spoil the entire story really won't it? As for how Remy will respond, read on my friend. Read on.....

Hesquidor: Thank ya for the info. Very useful :)

ishandahalf: The shrink stuff is worrying isn't it? Will it have an effect on everything else going on? Ooooo, the intrigue! I can't stand it and I'm the one writing it :D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Yay, another screaming fangirl. (adds you to the pile) Will Remy be totally freaked? Is Rogue gonna explain? And another guess about the second voice in Rogue's head. You'll have to find out...As soon as you stop reading this and start reading the chapter :)

Green Bird 2071: I knew everyone would appreciate the appearance of Remy :) As for the guess, interesting...Is it the answer? You'll have to wait and see :D Thank ya for the information on the Remy&Storm thing. Very useful.

Angelusse: Ooo, new reviewer :)

4Rogue: Glad you're liking the story. Always nice to hear from new people.

enchanted light: Hope the update came fast enough :)

sexybethry6906: Glad you're liking the story. Hope the update was quick enough for ya.

DemonicGamit: Oooo, O love your name. (starts to fantasis about Gambit 'till somone pokes me) Erm...What was I saying? Er...Thanks for reviewing O.o

IvyZoe: (joins in the happy dance) Yay, Remy's here so I can start with the ROMY bits :D As for your questions; Xavier and the other teachers don't know that she's hearing voices, they only know that she's acting oddly. Some of the other symptoms of schizophrenia are dramatic mood swings,loss ofconcentrationand irrational paranoia, both of which Rogue has displayed. Since they don't know it's a result of her mutation, they're assuming the other logical scenario. The other voice in Rogue's head I can't reveal yet because that'd pretty much give the ending away.

texasgrrl: Wow, big long sentence there lol. I did go through a faze of being really into Power Rangers Ninja Storm and I have seen Dino Thunder but I don't like it half as much. Glad you're liking the story and thanks for reviewing :)

Friend to All: I'm amazing? Wow. (blush) What a compliment. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much :)

Good to hear all the nice things about my story. I knew you'd all appreciate the introduction of actual Remy. I thought it was about time he came into it. As for this chapter, I dunno, I'm not keen on it myself. I think that's mostly because I'm itching to write some action and this is basically just Rogue and Remy meeting and plans being made. But, there is fluff and you've gotta love a bitta fluff :D

That's enough jabbering from me. On with the chapter:

* * *

Never in a million years would Remy have seen dis comin'. He was jus' walking down the street, keepin' an eye open for anyt'ing and he does de usual t'ing of 'borrowing' a femme's purse. Next t'ing he know dough, said femme has suddenly appeared in front of Remy from no where. Den, she gasp his name. How'd she know Remy's name? He'd remember a pretty fille like her. But she does fit de description his friend Joe give to him of de femme who right-hooked Juli. She start tellin' him stuff, sayin' that she knows Remy 'cause he be in her head. Remy start to t'ink that maybe she jus' an over excited admire, but den she start to tell him ot'er stuff. Stuff dat no one else but Remy knows and he realise, he gotta start believein' her. Dis belle fille got part of Remy inside her head...

* * *

"So you're de fille ever'body been tellin' Remy 'bout." The real Remy mused as he and Rogue slowly headed towards Joe's.

Rogue had managed to explain the majority of what she knew after recovering from the shock of actually seeing Remy in the flesh. Remy, naturally, had been skeptical of her claims at first, but when Rogue began to tell him things that only he knew, he had been forced to accept the fact that a part of him was inside her head. He was the one who had suggested going to Joe's together, partly because he was intrigued by the whole situation, but also because Rogue was, after all, a very pretty girl.

"All dese people tellin' Remy 'bout de young fille who managed to hold her own agains' a group of t'ieves. And Remy t'inking dat he don' know a fille like dat, who could go up against Juli and de ot'ers wit'out ending up seriously hur'." He explained, glancing down at her. "Bu' he see dat you didn' come ou' totally unscathed chere." He noted a little sadly at seeing the plaster above her eye.

"If ya gettin' into a faht, ya gotta expect to get a few bumps. It's just a cut. Ain't that bad." Rogue shrugged, trying to sound realistic and mature to impress him.

"Just like de 'bump' you go' from dat stool?" He grinned at her knowingly.

"Ah take it you've been talkin' to Joe then." She said shyly, a faint blush tinging her cheeks.

"He mentioned it, oui." Remy confirmed, still grinning. "Said it looked pretty painful."

"If ya play your cards raht, Ah'll show ya mah bruise sometime." She teased in reply, knowing she was blatantly flirting but not really caring.

"Well, it be a good t'ing that Remy be very handy wit' a deck of cards den." He teased back.

A comfortable silence fell over them then and remained until they reached the cafe. Remy held the door open for Rogue and then followed her in once she entered shyly, letting the door swing to a close behind them. Upon entering, the pair got a mixed response from those already in there. Some nudged those they sat next to and stared at Rogue in surprise or just neutraly. Some stared while whispering amongst each other. Those who sat and lurked in the shaded sides and corners glared at herself and Remy and she figured that they were somehow connected with Juli. The only response which was openly vocalised and the least bit reassuring was that of Joe's.

"There you are!" He called happily from behind the counter, waving a hand to beckon them over. Rogue smiled weakly at the enthustiastic response and felt Remy's hand on her back, gently ushering her forward. She took the hint and moved forward, doing her best to ignore the several pairs of eyes which seemed glued to her and Remy, her in particular though. "I wondered if I'd ever see you again after what happened yesterday an' all." He told her cheerfully as she and Remy sat on a couple of stools.

"Ah've had worse than yesterday." Rogue assured quietly, with a shy smile. It wasn't a total lie. Even if she hadn't been in them herself, she had a lot of experiance of that kinda fight. She had a lot of truckers and Logan in her head after all.

"Why so quiet?" Joe frowned in concern when he noticed that she wasn't as up beat or outgoing as she had been yesterday. Rogue threw a discreet glance at a group of customers to the side who were still staring at her. Joe then realised that almost everyone in the place was still staring at her. "You all got a problem?" He bellowed in an intimidating voice which made Rogue wince a little. Everyone immediately looked away and began talking again as though nothing had happened. "So, did it take you long to find her?" Joe inquired to Remy casually, suddenly changing back to the calm and friendly Joe that Rogue was familiar with.

"Actually, chere was de one who found Remy." Remy answered with a grin as he draped an arm over Rogue's shoulders. A huge blush covered Rogue's cheeks and her breath caught in her throat at the sudden close proximity to Remy. Joe glanced at the both of them before his confused gaze stayed on Rogue.

"I thought you said it wasn't like that between you and Remy?" Joe asked Rogue. Rogue struggled to find her voice, what with her attack of nerves and the fact her mind kept wandering back to the fact that Remy was really warm and it felt so right to have his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"T'ink 'bout how you answer dat one chere." Head Remy advised, bringing her back to reality. "Remy loves de femmes who show confidence and play hard to get." Rogue gave a mental nod and bearing the advice in mind, prepared herself to give her reply.

"It ain't. He just lahkes to dream." She smirked, casually pushing Remy's arm off of her shoulders. She immediately missed the warmth of it but the reaction for the Remy's and Joe more than made up for it. Head Remy and Joe burst out laughing while actual Remy looked a little stunned for a moment before a knowing smile graced his lips and amused glint sparkled in his eyes.

Rogue was beaming and she didn't care if either Remy or Joe saw. She was glad that Joe had laughed and she was exstatic that Remy was amused as well and got what she was doing. She was half afraid as she was saying it that he would take it seriously and think she wasn't interested...Woah!...Wait...Where did that come from? Since when had she been into Remy? The guy she had known as a voice for the past day and known as a person for the past hour. It did feel like she had known him longer than that though, most probably because he was in her head and everything about him was at her disposal. Also, now, here he was, in person, and it made him seem so much more real. He was no longer just a voice in her head. He was a person and a very handsome person at that. She had, had a basic idea of what he looked like but what he actually looked like was so much better than what she picked up from head Remy.

"By the way." Rogue heard Joe say as she started to pay attention to her surroundings again. "I believe these belong to you my girl." He smiled as he reached under the counter and brought out Rogue's shopping bags from yesterday.

"Aww, thank you Joe." Rogue beamed, gladly taking the bags from him. "Ah thought these were gonna be long gone."

"You're very welcome. Oh, and don't worry about what you owe me. It's on the house. Call it an apology for what happened." He told her with the same cheerful smile still on his face.

"That isn't really necessary Joe..." Rogue began to say, sounding like she was going to turn the offer down. "But it's very much appreciated." She ended with a grin.

"Remy hate to break up de conversation between the two good friends, one of which don' actually know de ot'ers name, but wha' does a homme have to do to get some coffee?" Remy suddenly interupted in a mock annoyed tone.

"Ugh, that's right! I still don't know your name do I?" Joe exclaimed, ignoring Remy's request to be provided with coffee. Remy gave an indignant gasp at being ignored and let his shoulders slump in neglect. Rogue grinned at his reaction before turning her attention to Joe again.

"It's Rogue." She told him with a smile. Joe raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Inventive parents ya got then." He commented.

"Okay, now you jus' doin' it on purpose." Remy accused. Joe shook his head at the immature behaviour.

"Same as always then Remy?" Joe inquired, earning a "oui" in response. "And for you Rogue?"

"Same as yesterday. Just a cup of decafe." She requested. The three of them cntinued to chat about little things as Joe made their order. They continued to chat once they had their drinks but Joe was eventually called away by other customers. At that point, Rogue and Remy went and sat at another table.

"How come you never told Joe your real name?" Remy asked in a hushed voice as they settled down at a table a row in from the wall. They were half in the shadows and half in the lit area, concealing Remy but lighting up Rogue.

"Ah only give mah real name to people Ah know really well of Ah feel comfortable with. You and Logan are the only people Ah've ever told it to." She revealed before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Remy honoured you trust him so much." He said with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, well, Ah know you well enough." Rogue stumbled, a little embarrassed at Remy's sincerity. "Ah got you insahde mah head and all that."

"Since you mentioned dat, Remy been wondering if you got any idea when de absorbin' happened? He don' remember seein' you before chere and he know he would remember seein' such a belle fille as you." He asked, putting in a compliment at the end as Rogue knew he almost always did around a pretty girl.

"We, that is me and head you, we figured it was a few months back at a pro-mutant protest. He said Ah didn't feel it 'cause of a kinda growth spurt in mah powers at that time. Said it dulled the sensations of the absorbing." Rogue answered. Remy began to think back, trying to remember an event like that. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and a look of realisation crossed his features.

"You de reason Remy passed out dat day so suddenly!" He exclaimed through a gasp. "You had Remy worried for quite a while after dat chere. Kept t'inkin' it was gon' happen again."

"Ah'm sahrry." Rogue murmured sadly, bowing her head in shame.

"Don' worry 'bout it cherie." Remy insisted, his tone mirroring Rogue's sadness. "Remy glad of anyt'ing dat would brin' such a belle fille into his life." Rogue blushed deeply at those words and lifted her head a little to smile at him. "So, you got any ot'er tricks beside de absorbin' and de teleportin'?" He inquired, simply to change the topic of conversation.

"Well, there are some other things..." Rogue said before leaning over the table. She reached forward and slipped her hand under Remy's trenchcoat. Just as he was beginning to wonder what exactly it was she was doing, she removed her hand which now held a playing card in between her fingers.

"How did you..."Remy started to ask.

"Know that was one of the many pockets you keep packs of cards in?" She finished for him. "Ah know a lot of stuff." She said with a confident smirk as she pulled a glove off and held the card in her now bare hand. "For example, Ah know how to do this." She continued as the card in between her fingers began to glow. "Ah keep all the powers of the mutants Ah absorb as well as their memories." She explained once she saw the stunned expression on Remy's face. "The teleporting thing ain't mahne. It's from a teacher at school Ah accidently absorbed yesterday. It is possible for me to use the powers of everyone in mah head but Ah don't have enough control yet...And Ah ain't actually that great at this yet." She ended with a small, slightly embarassed laugh. Taking the hint, Remy took hold of the other end of the card and brought the kinetic energy into himself. The card stopped glowing and Rogue let it slide from her fingers so Remy could slip it back into a pocket.

"Remy can teach you how to control dat properly if you wan'." He told her.

"Ah'd lahke that." She agreed, her cheeks once again flushing pink.

"Bet you glad Remy made you buy dat scarf now chere." Head Remy's voice suddenly came.

"Huh?" Rogue replied mentally.

"Well, it provide a safe cover for your skin bu' it be sheer enough so dat certain sensations can still be felt." He explained in a teasing tone. Rogue felt the blush on her cheeks intensify and she dropped her gaze to her mug on the table as a mental image flashed through her mind:

Herself and Remy in a dark alleyway, her back pressed against a cold brick wall and her chest pressed against Remy's warm body. Despite the fact it was an obviously dangerous area, she felt safe; safe pressed so tightly against Remy, safe in his arms. The dark magenta chiffon scarf was lightly draped over her lips and she and Remy were passionately...

"You all right chere?" Real Remy's voice suddenly broke through. Rogue's head shot up, the image in her mind now gone but the bright blush still remained.

"Erm, yeah, Ah'm fahne." She flustered, quickly bringing her mug to her lips to try and hide her face a little. She felt Remy continue to stare at her curiously and she inwardly cringed. She needed to start a conversation about anything but herself. After thinking for all of a few seconds, she remembered something that she still didn't know yet. "Remy? Who is Juli?"

"You don' know?" He asked, obviously surprised.

"Ah haven't had a chance to ask head you and Ah don't feel comfortable with just lookin' without permission." She told him. Remy gave a small sigh and lowered his mug to the table.

"Remy's family be part of de T'ieves Guild. Juli and his family be part of a rival guild called De Rippers." He answered, his voice now sounding tired.

"He said he had a message for ya..." She said, leaving the sentence hanging as a question.

"Oui. Remy be meetin' him tonigh' to find ou' wha' goin' on." He informed.

"On your own?!" Rogue gasped. Remy simply nodded. "Are you insane?!" She hissed out as a whisper, conscious of the other people around them who may over hear. "You're meetin' with him on your own? What if it's a trap?"

"Dat a risk Remy gon' have to take." He said with a shrug as if he wasn't worried, though it was clear to Rogue that he was nervous.

"Well you ain't takin' it on your own. Ah'm comin' with ya." She informed him.

"An' wha' makes you t'ink Remy gon' let you come alon'?" He asked as he raised his eyebrows in amusement at her sudden announcement.

"Last tahme Ah checked it was still a free country. Ah don't really need your permission to just happen to be at the same place as you." Rogue grinned at him.

"Marie, no. It's gon' be too dangerous for you. It's Remy's problem and he won' drag you into it." He told seriously, his playfulness and humour now gone.

"You ain't draggin' me into it, Ah'm bringin'mahself into it. Ah ain't gonna let you do this on your own." She insisted.

"It ain' up for discussion Marie." Remy said again very seriously, intending that to be the end of the conversation. Rogue studied Remy carefully as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Keep tryin'." Head Remy urged.

"He ain't gonna listen." Rogue sighed silently.

"Make a bet wit' him." He advised. Rogue focused back on reality again and took in a hopeful breath.

"Ah bet you that it's gonna be a trap." Rogue said, bringing Remy's attension to her. "Just let me come with you. Ah'll keep aht of the way but Ah'll be able to help if somethang happens. If nothing does happen, you get the satisfaction of knowing you were raht and Ah was wrong."

"Dat no' much of a bet chere." He pointed out, once again amused but Rogue knew the idea intrigued him.

"Offer to do his laundry. Remy hate doin' de laundry." Head Remy told her.

"Fahne, if you're raht, Ah'll do your laundry for a month." Rogue told actual Remy. He actually seemed to think it over before shaking his head gently.

"As temptin' as dat is, Remy gon' have to decline. However, he got anot'er idea. If Remy be right and not'ing unexpected happens tonigh' den he gets to take you ou' to dinner some night." He proposed.

"That ain't much of a win, spendin' your money on me." Rogue preotested though she was flattered and excited at the prospect of being taken out by him.

"De simple fact dat Remy'll be able to see your sweet face all night will more den make up for de price of a dinner for two." He replied, his suave and playful self now obviously completely back.

Rogue thought about the proposal. It was a very tempting one but she couldn't let him know that of course. She had to play hard to get if she wanted him...There she went again! What was with all the wanting and the flirting and the accepting of the flirting? Sure, he was charming and courteous and he wasn't treating her like a nutter or a child who had to be humoured. And yeah, he was gorgeous beyond words with his floppy brown hair with those rebelious few strands that fell over those enchanting black and red, almost demonic...Um, what was her point again? Suddenlyseeing Remy watching her expectantly, she remembered she needed to give him conformation.

"All raht then. You've got yaself a bet." She told him, holding out her gloved hand.

"All righ' den." Remy replied, taking her hand. However, instead of shaking it, he kissed the back of it. Rogue blushed for the thousandth time and fought the desire to swoon. "Well, Remy better get you anot'er cup of coffee. You gon' need a pick-me-up if you gon' stay up 'till mid-night." He said as he made a move to get up.

"Mid-naht? We're meetin' him at mid-naht?" Rogue asked nervously.

"Oui. Wha' de mat'er chere? Afraid of de dark?" He teased as he reached her side.

"No. It's just that there's a ten o'clock curfew at onschool nahts." Rogue murmured. She glanced at Remy. "It don't matter though. Ah'm sure no one will notice Ah ain't there."

That seemed to be enough for Remy and with a nod he continued on his way over to Joe. Rogue gave a small sigh, her eyes clouded with worry. At least, she hoped no one would notice she wasn't there.

* * *

So...What do we al think? Good? Not so good? I personally think this was the wrost chapter yet but I can be overly criticle of my own work sometimes. But like I said, I promise there will be loads and loads of action in the next chapter though and a lot of fluff at the end as well :) Hope to catch you all next time.

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone :) 

Reviews, reviews, reviews. Replies, replies, replies:

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: You liked the chapter? Awwww! (big hugs) I'm so glad you did :)

Green Bird 2017: Yay, another person who liked the chapter! (big hug)

WelshChicky: Another person who loved the chapter? Well, I think you deserve a big hug as well :) (big hug)

ishandahalf: Again, more liking of the chapter :) (big hug) As for whether Remy will lose the bet, well...You'll just have to wait and see how that turns out...

Hesquidor: Another fan of the chapter! (big hug) A bit of ROMY goodness does help the day go by doesn't it?

Freak87: (almost slips into a coma of pleasure at the massive review before being poked in the side by a stick and snapping out of it) Dude, gotta love your reviews :) It's cool to know you were actually wondering about the shopping bags and I'm glad you're getting into the story :) And I'm glad you ask questions as well because that sometimes jogs my memory into remembering things I need to explain. And, since you liked the chapter, you also get a big hug. (big hug) Oh, and your profile, totally cool. I love the smell of smoke as well. Always sniff the matches after I use them O.o

texasgrrl: I thought The Rippers sounded kinda cool myself but there is another reason why I haven't called them The Assassins and you'll find that out in this chapter.

Friend to All: (blushes) Wow, more huge compliments :) And you liked the chapter :) You deserve an big hug too. (big hug)

4Rogue: Yeah, spunky Rogue. That's what we like :)

Anna: Oooo, new reviewer. Glad you're liking the story :)

I love you guys so much. I honestly thought last chapter really sucked but there you guys were reassuring me and telling me that you really enjoyed it. SO HAPPY! Big hugs for everyone who enjoyed last chapter! (BIG HUGS)  
Okay, as for the personalities of Kitty and Jubilee; since neither has had a major part in the movies yet, I decided to make my own up for them. I was tempted to go with the Evolution version of Kitty but then I realised; Evolution Kitty really bugs me :) So, if their personalities seem a little OOC to incarnations you're already familiar with, that's intended.

* * *

It's really late now. Way past curfew and Remy and me have only just set out. We're on his motorbahke, him in front and me behind. No helmets which Ah was a little concerned abaht at first but it quickly stopped bothering me when Ah slipped mah hands arahnd Remy's waist. He was so warm and made me feel so safe and at ease. Ah had to keep mahself in check so that Ah didn't start hugging him instead of just holding on to him. What surprised me though was that Ah wanted to hug him. Ah really want to be close to him...

* * *

Kitty was the first to realise Rogue wasn't around when she failed to turn up to the German lesson which they both shared. That bit of gossip mixed with the news of Hank and Rogue's 'discussion' made everyone just assume she had sought out the seclusion of her bedroom. Kitty and Jubilee had been tempted to go up and try to talk to her but in the end concluded that maybe their friend just needed some cooling off time. So, they decided to give her until dinner time to come down of her own accord. When she didn't make an appearance, they took it upon themselves to go to her room and try to talk to her.

"Rogue?" Jubilee called into the door as she gently knocked. "Rogue? You okay?"

"You weren't in German and you didn't come down to dinner either and we're just wondering if you're feeling all right." Kitty explained. No reply. Jubilee tried to turn the door-knob but found it was locked. "C'mon Rogue! Please let us in." Still no reply from the other side and a worried expression began to form on Jubilee's face. "What's wrong? Why won't you talk to us?" Kitty once again called in.

"Maybe she can't talk to us..." Jubilee squeaked.

"What?" Kitty sighed distractedly as she tried the door-knob herself.

"What if something's happened? Or what if she's done something stupid?" Jubilee gasped, growing more frantic at the workings of her over active imagination.

"This is Rogue we're talking about Jubes! She wouldn't do anything to herself." Kitty insisted sensibly as she knelt down and tried to peer through the keyhole.

"But she's been acting differently lately, you can't deny that." Jubilee pointed out. "Over the last month or so, her concentration has just gone, she's always tired and sometimes it's like she's in her own little world!"

"So?!" Kitty asked, shaking her head a little in exasperation.

"So?! Kitty, you've heard the rumours! You know what the teachers think!" Jubilee reminded.

"Again, so?!" Kitty hissed, standing up again. "What makes you think they know? From what I can tell, today was the first time any of them had even tried to talk to her about the way she's acting and look how that ended up! Believe me, they know exactly what we do, nothing!"

"I'm still worried." Jubilee said stubbornly with a light frown, not appreciating the angry hissing from her friend. She gave a side-long glance at the door. "I'm going to get Logan to come and open the door for us." She stated as she turned to go. Kitty's eyes widened in slight alarm and she lurched forward to grab hold of Jubilee's wrist.

"Are you thick in the head?!" Kitty muttered, pulling Jubilee back. "Get Logan up here and it'll all spiral out of control. We can deal with this on our own. She is our friend after all."

"How can we deal with this if we can't get her to talk to us or get in to talk to her?" Jubilee challenged. Kitty simply dragged her towards the dor and they passed through it into Rogue's bedroom. Kitty threw a playful smirk Jubilee's way and she replied by playfully sticking out her tongue. However, the relaxed and playful atmosphere was shattered when they simultaneously realised the room was empty and the window was open. Both acted immediately, Kitty running to the bathroom, just in case, and Jubilee dashing over to the window. She climbed onto the dressing table and stuck her head out of it.

"She's not in her bathroom." Kitty revealed, sounding more then a little relieved, as she reached Jubilee's side and leaned over a little so she too could look down out of the window.

"D'you think she could've made that?" Jubilee inquired, refering to the long drop from the window to the ground.

"Not without breaking something." Kitty guessed. She drew her head back from the window and stood up right, contemplating the possibility.

"Well, she must've got out somehow and the window is open..." Jubilee mused as she also drew back into the room.

"Rogue?" The Professor's voice suddenly came from the other side of the door. Kitty and Jubilee froze and locked eyes with each other.

"Rogue, can we come in? We just want to have a talk with you." Jean's voice then came through and brought Kitty and Jubilee to action. They began to try and push in opposite directions and ended up in a frantic slap battle.

"Open up kid. We know you're awake, Kitty and Jubilee are in there with you." Logan's voice came. The two girls froze again, both mid-slap.

"Why are they all here?!" Jubilee hissed out a whisper so that Logan would have less chance of hearing her.

"What makes you think I know?!" Kitty hissed back. Another knock and a call of Rogue, this time from Ororo.

"What should we do?" Jubilee whined desperately. "We can't let them in! Not with Rogue not being here!" However, no sooner as Jubilee had said that then Kurt suddenly appeared a few feet away from them. The two girl's heads whiped to face their German teacher in an instant. He looked back at them before glancing around the bedroom and looking back to them again.

"Vhere is she?" He asked. Neither girl answered and instead averted their gazes to their feet. Kurt kept his eyes on them for a moment longer beore turning and moving towards the door to unlock it so the other teachers could enter.

* * *

Rogue let out a bored huff from her position on the roof top of a building which over-looked the harbour where Remy had arranged to meet Juli. She hadn't failed to note how cliche the location was and it would've amused her, had she not been so nervous. After all, it was dark, it was shadowy and she was going to be around a bunch of theives. Anyone would be nervous. As Rogue had promised to keep out of the way unless there was trouble, she had quickly teleported onto the roof she was still on. She was finding that she actually quite enjoyed teleporting now that it no longer gave her a headache and she could judge her reappearances properly. After she had got into a semi-comfortable position, Rogue had begun to watch and wait, which hadn't been so bad at first but now the time was dragging, various parts of her body were going numb and boredom was swiftly starting to set in. She no longer had any clue what time it was but she did know it had been an hour or so or at least that's what it felt like.

Rogue rolled onto her back and stared up at the black sky. It was a cloudy night so no stars were visible and the moon often disappeared behind a veil of mist. With nothing to preoccupy her mind, Rogue's thoughts began to process what had happened to her over the past day or so. So many changes in her life, the discovery of the other powers she still had, learning to use teleportation well in little less than half a day and, the most significant thing, she had met Remy. First head Remy and then, a few hours ago, real Remy. This led her mind to focus on the subject of the Cajun charmer. She still wasn't sure exactly how old he was. She imagined he was early to mid-twenties though he rarely acted like it. His sense of humour closely resembled that of the boys she knew at the school. The sense of humour which usually bugged her. It didn't bother her with Remy though. Maybe it was because he was in her head and so in a way she shared his specific sense of humour. Or maybe it was more to do with the fact that she liked him more than the boys at school. Because she did like. It was just how much she liked him she wasn't sure on yet. She supposed her feelings could be described as a crush but it didn't really feel like one. What she had felt for Logan when she met him, now that was a crush/hero worship. What she felt for Remy wasn't like that. For the amount of time she had known him, a crush would've made sense. It felt so much deeper than a crush though...

A sudden, involuntry shiver pulled Rogue out of her thoughts and she realised she was actually really cold. She rolled back onto her stomach and looked down over the edge of the roof to see Remy leaning up against a wall opposite her, shuffling one of his packs of cards. She sighed a little. She was bored, cold and lonely. Three things which Remy could rectify...Just as she considered going down to him, she saw three figures, and when lit up by the orange glow of street lights it was clear one of them was Juli, coming towards Remy from the left. She instinctively pressed herself against closer to the roof below her and watched intently as they reached her friend. She shuffled closer to the edge so she could get a better look at the four men below. She could see their lips moving as they spoke but was too far away to actually hear what they were saying and that fact quickly began to annoy her.

"This is stupid!" Rogue muttered mentally to head Remy. "Ah can't hear a damn thing!"

"Do you really need to hear dhough chere?" Head Remy reasonably asked.

"If Ah can't hear what's goin' on, how am Ah supposed to know when he needs mah help?" She pointed out. At that moment, one of the two other men, who was obviously just an anonymous lacky, grabbed hold of Remy.

"Remy t'ink dat's a pret'y good sign dhat it be time to help." Head Remy said as Rogue pushed herself up on her arms.

"Wha' should Ah do?" Rogue gasped, her confidence leaving her as panic and fear for her friend set in.

"Jus' let it flow." Head Remy simply advised before his presence drew back, Rogue figured so he could better concentrate on helping her. She gave a small sigh as she got to her feet and took a few steps backwards, knowing that she needed to act quickly so that nothing had a chance to happen. When she was satisfied she was far back enough, she took off in a sprint towards the edge of the roof. Upon reaching the edge, she dove forward and off of the building before quickly disappearing in the familiar wisps of blake smoke.

Rogue judged her re-entery perfectly and appeared inches from Juli who stood facing Remy. She was still out-stretched horizontaly from her dive and she used the remaining momentum of the jump to collide with Remy's rival, kocking him to the ground. Still using the left over momentum to her advantage, she flipped off of Juli as Remy used the distraction to wrestle out of the hold of Lacky One and kneed him roughly in the stomach. Rogue vanished half-way through her flip and came back just above Lacky One, who was still recovering from the blow he had recieved from Remy. She twisted her body around in mid-air and kicked him squarely in the head before disappearing once again. Remy threw Lacky Two over his shoulder just as Rogue popped back into the world again. However, Juli had recovered by this point and he immediately headed to Remy and managed to tackle him to the ground. When Rogue saw this, she intended to go over and help Remy but a sudden gun shot stalled her movement. She spun round swiftly to see the two anonymous lackies were both aiming guns at her.

"They have guns?!" Rogue's cried silently as she thought quickly and began to teleport in random directions so a decent aim couldn't be established on her.

"Dhey are assassins. O' course dhey're gon' have guns!" Head Remy exclaimed, reacting to her panic and annoyance.

"They're assassins?! Ah thought they were thieves!" She gasped.

"Remy never said dhey were t'ieves chere and you never asked." He pointed out.

Rogue frowned at the fact she wasn't told everything and considered the turn of direction the situation had taken. Now they weren't up against more thieves, they were up against assassins and that just made Rogue feel ten times worse about the whole thing. Plus, she was stuck having to deal with the two lackies who were still firing at her in the faint hope that they might get lucky and hit her. She wasn't able to help Remy and that was the whole point of her being there. She was supposed to be helping him!

Another unexpected gun shot startled her and diverted her concentration from her teleporting. She vanished before she meant to and when she reapeared it was a couple of feet above the ground. She fell with a surprised cry and grunted in pain when she landed on her back on the hard concrete. The number of gun shots increased and she heard the ping of bullets ricocheting off of the ground from mere feet away from her. She instinctively screamed and covered her head with her hands.

"Rogue!" Real Remy cried, her scream drawing his attention away from Juli. Juli used that moment of distraction to his advantage and managed to land a punch to Remy's jaw. Rogue saw this as she had scrambled to her feet, growling in fustration. Everything was going wrong! They were losing; She was dividing Remy's attention and was thusly hindering him rather than helping him. Maybe if she could take away the threat of the guns then she would at least be able to deal with the lackies more easily. She wasn't sure how she could do that though. She could try teleporting right in front of them and grab the guns away, but that would make it a Hell of a lot easier for them to shoot her. She suddenly started to regret the fact she had never absorbed Jean before. If she had, she could use her telekinesis to get the guns away...But there was someone who she had absorbed a huge dose of who would be very useful...

"Ah need Magneto's power." She suddenly ordered head Remy.

"No Marie! He too powerful an' you haven' had any practice wit' it!" Remy's voice protested.

"It's mah head it's mah choice!" Rogue yelled desperately.

"But Marie..." He began. Another group of shots came which were quickly followed by the sound of chipping concrete.

"Now is not the time for discussion you know! Just help me will ya?!" She yelled again. Head Remy frowned. He didn't like this but Rogue wanted it and so did the one who was really giving all the orders. So, reluctantly, he fished out the part of Magneto that still remained and began to bring him forward as slowly and gently as possible.

Rogue gasped as the pain in her head began to sting as suddenly as a slap in the face. It was definately the most intense pain so far but Rogue knew she couldn't complain. This was what she had decided, what she wanted. However, that didn't stop it from hurting and she gave a sob as she fell to her knees. Her hands came up to her and she screwed her hair into her fists as she bit back a scream for Remy's sake. The pain suddenly pulsed and she gave a choaked gasp of surprise and suffering. In front of her, the guns in the lackies hands left them and flew away into the near-by water. Another pulse came which intensified the pain. The two lackies followed the example of the guns and were thrown into the water, the extra bullets and knives in their pockets moving them as they were repelled by the magnetic field.

Rogue felt the presence of Magneto being drawn back into the recesses of her subconcious and the pain began to subside. After merely a minute or so, the pain was completely gone though she did feel a little dizzy. She shakily got to her feet and held her head lightly in her palm. Her breathing came out in heavy pants as she concentrated on staying up straight and scanned the surroundings in search of Remy. She quickly spotted him as Juli shoved him roughly against the wall of a building. Fear seized her and she reacted immediately, without thinking. She teleported within a foot of Juli and approached him as quickly as her wobbly legs would let her while she removed the glove from her right hand. Upon reaching Juli, she roughly grabbed his bare neck, squeezing it tightly just for her own satifaction.

Rogue gasped as memories began to flood her mind and continued to even once Juli had passed out and fallen out of her grip. Many of the memories she couldn't define as they either passed too quickly or were too confused. However, there was one memory which seemed so much clearer than the rest;  
Flash.  
A man with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail was in a small office-like room, tied to the chair he was sitting on.  
Flash.  
A retreating view of the man in the room through an open doorway. A grimy green-painted door swings shut and two men suddenly appear and stand guard by it.  
Flash.  
A retreating view of a sequence of corridors; left, right, right, left, backward, left, backrward, right, backward.  
Flash.  
A retreating view of a corridor from a open double doorway. Two large, green stained doors slammed shut and the view continued to retreat, revealing the corridors were part of a large, old mansion.  
Flash.  
A dank, dark swamp with mines floating in the water.  
Flash.  
An ordinary street in...

It all bacame too much for Rogue and with a gasp, the memories vanished and reality came crashing back with such force that a wave of faintness unbalanced her. Her knees buckled beneath her and she fell towards the ground, no longer having the strength to support her own weight. However, Remy managed to lunge forward and catch her before she actually hit the hard, unforgiving concrete. He quickly scooped her into his arms and together they made a quick retreat. Remy had known Juli for long enough and Rogue had enough knowledge of him in her head to know that he had come with extra back-up and neither of them were in any condition to fight anymore.

* * *

And there we have chapter 6. Hope you all enjoyed it :) I also hope that the whole fighting sequence wasn't too muddled. A friend of mine always says that I'm really bad at writing fight scenes. I'm not sure if I believe him or not so I'd really appreciate some feedback of the fighting in particular )  
Catch ya'll next chapter.

Hugs Wings of a Dream


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone :) 

Yay, more reviews that I can reply to! :

hesquidor: Glad to hear the fight scenes aren't too bad. I don't write them a lot so I didn't expect it to be amazing but I'm soooo glad you don't think it sucked :) As for your question, head Remy wants Rogue and real Remy to be together which is why he's helping her out in enticing him. It will be explained in more detail at a later stage but I'm not sure when so I thought I'd just give you a brief explaination.

ishandahalf: I think it's enevitable that the adults prying will only make things worse. I'm really glad you're getting into the story :) Hope the update was as quick as a bunny on crack :)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: I'm so glad you liked the fighting sequence. I really wasn't sure about it but now I know at least someone liked it I'm all happy and inspired :)

IvyZoe: Glad you liked both chapters. As for whether Remy's freaked out by her, I'm gonna say he isn't. The reason I say this is because of all the empathy and stuff, he can tell that she's just a lonely girl and he's just glad that he's able to help relieve the loneliness. Wow, isn't he such a great gut? (starts day dreaming) Oh, there is another reason but that one's explained in this chapter.

WelshChicky: I'm a fan of the Remy scooping up Rogue as well :) Gotta love a guy who's all protective :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked the chapter and I hope the update was quick enough for you :)

Freak87: Man, your reviews rock! I love 'em so much. Glad you found the fight scene easy to read. One chapter is gonna be based on the Evolution episode Cajun Spice because a) that episode rocked so hard and b) there wasn't enough ROMYness in it. So I'm gonna re-write it with more of the ROMY action in it :) As for your question, the Rippers are the Assassins. I gave them an actual name because I wanted the whole surprise for Rogue of finding out they weren't thieves but assassins. Okay...Think that's all for my reply. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long :)

MeWhoExactlyWhat: Yay, gotta love compliments about my writing :) It's good to know that the quality isn't slipping...Yet...O.o

smiteme: Ooooo, new reviewer :) Welcome to you and it's good to hear you're liking what you're reading.

texasgrrl: Yeah, it's Remy's dad. An upcoming chapter will be based on that episode of Evolution because that's one of my favourite episodes but I always thought there was never enough ROMYness in it. So, I'll re-write it my way :)

Silent Doom: Yay, not only a new reviewer but also a reviewer who likes to ramble :D Glad you're liking all the little touches here and there. The reason everyone's in New York will be explained this this chapter as will various other bits and bobs lol. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you continue to read and enjoy :)

Friend to All: How great are you? You make me feel so much better about my writing :)

Green Bird 2071: People do over play the "like"s don't they? It really bugs me. Juli is the equivilant of Julian. I didn't much think the name Julian suited him but I though Juli kinda fitted the whole atmosphere.

son0ladyluck: New reviewer! Big welcome to you. Glad you're liking the story :)

As always, wonderful reviews for which I thank you all for )  
This chapter is very mushy, very filled with the ROMY stuff and it'll have some stuff explained/made clearer.  
IT'S OFFICIAL! Last chapter became a record for the most amount of reviews I've ever got! By 10 reviews! I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed and made this my most popular story yet :)  
ALSO, with this chapter, this story is now my longest story ever, not only chapter-wise but also word-wise as well :)

* * *

Dhat was a complete disaster! Didn' find anyt'ing out and Marie exhausted herself! Can feel her grip slippin'...Damn, she ain' gon' make it to dhe school. Gotta find somewhere where to rest for a while, jus' 'til she alert enough to hold on and not fall off dhe bike. But where? Not Remy's place. Too far away. Ugh, how did you ge' yourself into dhis LeBeau? Remy known dhis fille for all of half a day yet he feel so strongly for her...Wha' dhat 'bout?

Dhere jus' somet'ing 'bout her...Makes Remy wan' protect her, keep her safe, make her happy...

* * *

The school was gradually filling up with students again as groups began to return in time for curfew. Every student had once again been sent out in search of Rogue the moment the teachers realised she was gone. Logan, Ororo and Scott had also gone out searching as soon as they were positive that neither Kitty or Jubilee had any idea where she was. Kurt and Hank had stayed behind at the school so that if Rogue returned injured then they could immediately help her. The Professor and Jean had also stayed at the school and had gone straight down to Cerebro where they remained still.

"It's no use." The Professor sighed to Jean who was standing just behind him. He removed the head set and placed it down in front of himself.

"You still can't find her?" Jean asked, her tone a little fearful.

"I don't know what's wrong. It's like yesterday. She just doesn't seem to be anywhere." He mused.

"Do you think that, maybe, Hank's on the right track? Could a mental illness possibly effect the accuracy of tracing her mind?" Jean inquired.

"I'm really not sure." The Professor admitted. "Very little research has been done into mutants by mutants. Government officials are more interested in finding ways to manipulate us to their advantage rather than how ordinary conditions can effect powers."

"So it may be a possibility?" She concluded sadly.

"It certainly can't be totally dismissed as a possibility." The Professor agreed. A heavy silence filled the chamber as both thought of the various implications of the whole situation with the young mutant.

"Should I try again?" Jean suggested after a while.

"Yes, if you wish. I don't think it would be wise to stop trying. We may eventually find her plus it will help you to develop your control." The Professor answered as he moved out of Jean's way.

"Professor?" Kurt's voice suddenly came in the Professor's head.

"Yes Kurt?"

"Ze final group of students have returned to ze school."

"Thank you Kurt." The Professor said before closing the mental link. So now that meant that there were a lot less people out searching for Rogue. Which meant they were less likely to find her before anything bad happened...

* * *

Rogue groaned as consciousness seeped back to her. Every muscle and joint felt stiff and her head ached so badly. She felt warm though and she was laying on something soft. Her eyes remained closedas she did make a move to sit up but found she was being held down at the shoulders by a firm hand. She gave an annoyed grunt in protest and tried to bat the hand away.

"Easy dhere cherie." Remy soothed as he moved to sit next to her on the bed she lay on. "Stay layin' down."

"Where are we?" Rogue moaned, bringing a hand up to her head and still not opening her eyes.

"Dhe empty apartment 'bove Joe's cafe. You passed out 'bout a block away from here. Remy's apartment and dhe school be too far away so he bought you here 'til you well enough to ride again." He explained as he let his hand trail down her arm from her shoulder. Rogueblushed a little at his actionbut didn't have the energy or the will power to do much else.

"What tahme is it?" She asked through a sigh.

"One twen'y a.m." He answered as he glanced at his wrist watch.

"Ugh, Ah'm so dead when Ah get back." She groaned. Remy said nothing and just rearranged his position so he could hold her hand. Rogue's eyes snapped open and her blush deepened but she did allow her head to roll to the side so she could look at him. Calm quiet ruled for a while before Rogue decided to speak. "Remy, whah didn't you tell me Juli was an assassin?"

"Didn' wanna scare you chere and Remy didn' t'ink dhey'd fire on an unarmed fille." He answered. A dark frown formed on his face after and he glared down at the floor. "Dhose assassins got no honour."

"Whah is he in New York? Ain't his home and family in Louisiana?" She continued to query.

"Dhey're here for me." Remy replied simply.

"Whah?"

"Don' know." He sighed tiredly as he ran his free hand over his face and letting it run up through his hair. "Wha'ever message dhey had, it's obvious dhey never had any intention of relayin' it"

Rogue watched Remy sadly as he moved his hand out of his hair before covering his eyes with it and giving a tired sigh. She instantly decided that she didn't like Sad Remy. Cheerful Remy, Playful Remy, Hell, even Cocky Remy she could handle. Not Sad Remy though. Everything about him seemed to darken, he suddenly seemed so tired and his eyes; those beautiful eyes which usually sparkled with playful mischief now just looked tired and dull. She knew it was selfish but she needed him to be cheerful and up-beat and playful. It made her feel normal. She felt confident around him, like she wasn't a mutant who would never be able to touch, but just a normal girl who had a crush on a normal, up-beat guy.

She knew what was wrong. He wanted to know what Juli was up to. He was worried about the various possibilities. And she knew she could help him. Everything he wanted to knowand was worried about was somewhere in her head. So she began to sift through everyone who was with her and quickly found Juli as he was still quite far forward. She began to search though his memories which seemed to annoy the fragment of mind and when she found what she was looking for, it annoyed him even more. He pushed forward roughly causing Rogue to visibly wince and take in a sharp breathe. Remy's head shot up at that and he saw as her face creased in pain.

"Rogue?" He called gently as he scooted up closer to the head of the bed. Rogue's only reply was a small, hoarse squeak. She curled up on her side and clutched her head as Juli decided he liked the effect the push hadon her and therefore was going to keep doing it.

"Remy! Push him back!" Rogue cried in her mind. No reply came though. "Remy?" She tried again. Still nothing. Another sharp push, much stronger this time. A soft wail made it past her lips this time and she curled up a little tighter.

"Wha's wrong chere? Wha' is it?" Remy asked gently while leaning closer to her. Rogue shook her head, no longer capable of speech and squeezed his hand, which she still held, tighter. A third push cameand Rogue couldn't handle it anymore. She burst into tears and Remy took that as his cue. He swiftly repositioned himself so he sat at the head of the bed, along side Rogue. He gathered her into his arms and positioned her on his lap. She immediately cuddled into him and continued to cry in pain. Remy bought his hand up to cover the one of Rogue's that was holding the side of her head. The moment she felt his hand on hers she adjusted her grip so her fingers could curl around his.

Remy felt helpless. He didn't know what was wrong and more importantly, he didn't know how to make it better. All he could do was try and comfort her, if only to make himself feel better for at least trying to do something. A thought suddenly occured to him and tentatively, he lowered his psychic barriors and reached out towards Rogue's mind...

Rogue was too tired to do anything but flinch and whine a little when a forth push stabbed in her head. She didn't understand. Why wasn't the Remy in her head helping her? Or even replying when she called out to him? Maybe the Juli in her head was able to block him somehow...Or maybe she wasn't strong enough at that moment to support him...If that was the case though, would this pain never stop? She couldn't rest with it hurting so much, so how would she get strong enough to support Remy again? Thinking this brought on panic which seemed to only make the situation worse. The pain of each push increased. Worse still, she could tell the Juli was getting too far forward. She began to feel differently. Suddenly, Remy wasn't such a nice guy, killing people seemed easy and she was very interested in the belle fille that had been with him that night. Rogue would've blushed if she had been in her right mind.

However, as suddenly as the pain came, it began to fade. Juli's presence didn't go but it stopped pushing. A blanket of soothing calm covered her and she perked up a little, a quick boost of energy also coming. The soothing sensation reminded her of of the one the Remy in her head had provided after she teleported on her own for the first time. It didn't feel like it was coming from inside herself though. It felt like an outside source seeping in rather than an inside source seeping out. The calm was so be that the actual Remy was the one helping her?

"Remy?" Rogue whispered tearfully once her sobs had stopped.

"Jus' relax cherie. Remy's got you covered." He assured her gently as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. Rogue let out a shakey sigh. She finally felt the presence of the Remy in her head and felt Juli's presence fade away, most likely being pulled back by head Remy. Everything was still and quiet for a while as Rogue forced her tears to stop completely. She eventually managed it and immediately switched to concentrating on her proximity to Remy.

If her cheeks hadn't already been flushed from crying, they certainly would've turned bright red when she realised their position. She was on his lap! His lap of all places! Okay, sure it was because she had been crying and in pain but still, his lap! Up this close, she could feel his warmth and his scent invaded her senses. Part of it was obviously cologne but there was also another part which was just all him; smelt kinda spicy, but not too spicy. She half-consciously leaned closer to him and gently gripped the edge of his trenchcoat. This was nice. She liked being close to him.

"Wha' happened?" Remy inquired softly, taking her slight movement as a sign she was feeling better.

"Juli was being a jerk." Rogue murmured quietly, feeling very embarassed about the whole situation even though it technically wasn't her fault.

"Not'ing changin' dhere dhen." He grunted as he let his hold on her relax a little now that she wasn't so distressed. A pause.

"They've got ya father." Rogue revealed eventually after considering how best to say it. She decided straight out honesty would probably be best.

"You're kiddin'?" Remy groaned, his head tilting back against the wall above the headboard of the bed. "Where dhey got him?"

"At their place in Louisiana." She informed sadly, the Remy in her head reacting to the news in much the same way as the full version.

"Stupide imbecile." He muttered angrily, the comment directed at his father.

"You gonna go after him?" Rogue inquired gently.

"Don' have much choice." He sighed unwillingly.

"Ah'm coming with you then." She stated.

"Marie..."

"No Remy." She said, cutting him off. "Lahke you said earlier, it ain't up for discussion. Ah've got Juli in mah head. Ah know what traps are where, Ah know where the security cameras are, Ah know mah way around the twisty corridors of the building. There's no way you'd be able to avoid the mines in the water and even if you did, by some miracle, make it insahde then you'd never fahnd your father before you were discovered."

"It gon' be dangerous." He warned her.

"Yeah, but it'll be way more dangerous for you if Ah don't come." Rogue countered.

"Fine dhen. We'll go toget'er." He sighed, too emotionally tired to fight a battle he knew he'd lose in the end anyway. He knew her coming made sense though. It would make the whole process a lot easier. Still, he didn't like it burdening her with his own problems even if she was the one who volunteered.

"When are we gonna go then?" She quieried.

"As soon as you fit enough and go' a good excuse to disappear for a day." He answered. Rogue simply nodded in reply. Her gaze moved onto the hand of Remy's which was visible to her and she saw his wrist watch. It was coming up to two a.m. She wondered if her absence had been realised yet. If it had, the others would undoubtably be really worried and out searching for her. A pang of guilt churned in her stomach and she knew what she should do.

"Ah think Ah should get back to the school nah." She told Remy quietly, unable to keep the hint of disappointment out of her voice.

"You sure you ready to ride again?" Remy checked, not making any move to alter their position. Rogue merely nodded. "All righ' dhen." He sighed. He gently shifted Rogue off of his lap and rolled off of the bed. He quickly straightened out his trenchcoat before assisting Rogue to stand. With Remy supporting Rogue, they headed out of the small apartment together.

* * *

"Wha' dhe Hell was dhat?!"

"Oh stop being such a baby."

"Don't ever make Remy do somet'ing like dhat ever again!"

"Or what? What exactly are ya gonna do? You're just a part of a mahnd who can't do anythang withaht mah say so."

"You were jus' lettin' Juli do wha'ever he wan'ed! You were lettin' her suffer!"

"She coped."

"You're twisted."

"Resorting to insults now? That's really constructive."..."Look, you want her and the real you to get together don't you?"

"Dhat whole t'ing was totally un-necessary!"

"No, it was completely necessary! Marie may be radiating psychic vibes like no ones business but that alone ain't gonna make him fall for her. You know yourself. You won't turn away from someone who needs you, especially if the someone just happens to be a pretty girl."

"You crossin' a line dhough! You're manipulatin' bot' of dhem."

"So?"

"Wha' you doin' is wron'!"

"But it's for the raht reasons!"

"You're goin' too far."

"Do you want to lose her?! Do you want her to lose herself in a sea of other psyches?"..."Do you?!"

"No, of course not! But..."

"No, no buts. Ah know what Ah'm doin'. Remy'd forgive me for the influencing and so would Marie. Everthang will be fahne as long as you just keep doin' what you're told."

"An' wha' if Remy don'?"

"Then you'll ruin everyones lives and condemn Marie to insanity."

* * *

Rogue leaned heavily against the gates of the school. Her legs felt wobbly, her co-ordination was shot and all she wanted was to collapse somewhere warm and soft. Remy had dropped her off a short distance away at her insistance and from there she had walked. She had been fine at first but in a matter of seconds she had started to feel very drained.

Peering through on of the gaps in between the gate's bars, Rogue saw that there were still lights on in the school. Although that didn't definately mean that the others were up waiting for her, it did mean that some of the others were up and that would make it difficult for her to get to her room without being detected. Sighing with fatigue and dread, she moved forward, pushing the gate open as she went, continuing her way down the gravel path towards the school's entrance. She hadn't gone very far down the pathway before she tripped over her own feet and went crashing towards the gravel covered ground. However, a slim pair of arms came around her waist and saved her before she fell too far. Rogue twisted her head around and saw Ororo's face hovering just over her.

"Storm..." Rogue breathed. She thought she heard Ororo say something but she couldn't make it out. Her eyes were growing heavier and her awareness began to slip away until it was gone and she passed out.

* * *

Oooooooo! Busted! Don't you just hate it when that happens? Is Rogue gonna get it or will this little event be allowed to pass by? You're all just gonna have to wait and see :)  
If you're thinking that the Rogue/Remy relationship is moving along very fast, it's not because I'm impatient, (even though I am) but it's because it will have an effect on events later, (much later) in the story.  
Well, that's all from me. Catch ya'll next chapter :)

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone :) 

You review, therefore I reply:

texasgrrl: Feel free to ramble all you like, makes for interesting reading :) Remy did use his empathy but the technicalities will be explained a lot more in this chapter.

ishandahalf: I think we all wish we could be on Remy's lap...(dreamy sigh) Oh and I also really hate it when people pronounce foyer wrong. I mean, c'mon! It just shows ignorance when you pronounce it as "er".

Silverbell914: Good to know that I provide a break from school :)

Green Bird 2071: Glad to know that some of the confusion's been cleared up but it's also good to know that there's still stuff for you to think about :)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Don't unanswered questions suck? They niggle away at you and don't stop BUGGING YOU! I hope this chapter answers a few :)

Freak87: (stares for hours at the longest review ever before finally getting around to reading it) Have I ever told you I love your reviews? They rock so hard! You really help me to see how my message has been put across and how readers interperate it. Big thank you just for that. Also, you make me laugh :) More thank yous. As for Rogue falling unconcious all the time, that's partly for drama and partly because it's an easy why to end a chapter :D

smiteme: Hey, new reviewer! Welcomes. Good to know I've got your attention :)

Tinanai-adora: Hey, you're new to! Big welcome to you. Glad you're enjoying yourself :)

Silent Doom: Trust me, sneaking out is gonna be a Hell of a lot harder for her now :D

Bubbles1612: Oooo, you're new! Welcome to my story. Thank you for bothering to review for all the seperate chapters all at once :) Glad you're liking everything.

hesquidor: Mmmm, ROMY goodness makes the world go round :)

adin: Greetings new reviewer. Hope the update was quick enough.

Jeanl: Ooooo, new reviewer. Big welcome to you. Good to hear that you like what you're reading :)

Tara: Yay, another new reviewer! Welcomes to you. Who is the mystery person? I could tell you, but that would ruin my joy at causing you annoyance :D

Friend to All: Once again, you're so sweet :) It's reassuring to know everything is going at a good pace and I'm so glad you're still interested and the suspense is coming across :)

Meraculas: Welcome new reviewer. Glad you're enjoying the story :)

Xtreme Nuisance: Welcomes for you new reviewer. Love your name :D. Ah, cliffies. If you're the author, ya gotta love 'em :)

(Screams in pure delight) I'VE GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! Once again, thank you all sooooooo much for reviewing :) I mean, I go to check my e-mails the day after I posted the chapter and out of the 26 I had, 14 were reviews! How chuffed was I? You guys always inspire me to keep writing and so far you're all keeping the writer's block away which is always a good thing.

* * *

All talkin'. All askin'. All arguin' at the same tahme. None of them will shut up! One asks me a question and then someone else will answer for me. Ah don't care though. Ah'm too tired, too confused. Ah woke up in mah bed. Ah don't know how Ah got there. Everythang was kinda hazy. Ah remember Logan comin' to get me and helping me dahn to see the Professor and the other teachers. Then they all started talkin' all at once. Ah'm not sure what's goin' on anymore. Ah'm so confused...

Ah wish Remy were here...

* * *

Concentrating, Rogue focused on the lock on her bedroom door. Bringing Magneto forward, she used his power to slid the lock back. She slowly edged the door open a crack and poked her head around discreetly. Coast was clear, completely empty corridor. She already held her cell phone to her ear and heard the ringing on the other side. She nervously bit her bottom lip, her eyes fixed to the end of the corridor ahead. The ringing stopped;

"Hello?"

"Remy? It's Marie."

"Marie? How'd you get Remy's number?"

"Ah asked head you, but anyway, Ah gotta talk quick. Ah've been grounded for a month. Ah ain't gonna be able to help you save your father."

"Wha'? Why'd dhey ground you?"

"Why'd you think? Strangely enough, teachers are picky abaht knowing where their students are in the middle of the naht. Ah was lucky to only get a month, though Ah think the five days of solitude is goin' a bit far. Ah think they're just worried abaht me though, what with the sudden disappearances and me passing out on them."

"You passed ou'! Okay, now Remy wan' details."

"Shh...oot" Logan's comin'. Ah gotta go."

"Marie, wait!"

"Don't worry. Ah'll call you back later. Bah."

* * *

Two days had passed since the events which led on from meeting the real life Remy. Two days filled with questions, explanaitions and check-ups. Two out of the five days of solitude she was punished with. Two days down out of the thirty days she was grounded for.

Rogue lay on her bed, completely still except for the slight movement of her right hand which was guiding the floating, bending paperclips above her. She was so bored! Being confined to her room all day except for lessons and meals had seemed like a pretty sweet deal at first. That was, until she found out lessons and meals would be on her own and her CD's were to be taken away. That's when she realised it was definately a punishment. She knew she was in for trouble but she thought Logan would at least stick up for her. Instead, he was the one dealing out the punishments. Solitary confinement for five days, grounded for a month. Although, she reckoned the grounding was simply because he was worried/pissed off with her recent, sudden disappearances. If she was grounded, it meant he and the other teachers had a plausable reason for keeping tabs on her.

This was the first time she'd ever been given any kind of punishment at the school, let alone solitude, so she really wasn't used to it. And it was because she wasn't used to it that she found that she was now completely and utterly bored. She was sick of reading, tired of listening to the tapes she had managed to hide from Logan and her last sketching pencil had snapped earlier the previous day. She had tried calling Remy again a couple of times but his phone had always been off and she couldn't be bothered to leave him a message. She needed to talk to him though. There were things she needed to know. Like, what was he going to do about his father? And if he still had her shopping bags.

With a small sigh, Rogue lifted her right arm and twisted her hand around a few times, one of the paperclips flattening out as she did so. In an attempt to relieve her boredom, Rogue had started practising with the other powers in her mind. She had started out with Pyro's ability and had managed to master it quickly. Head Remy told her it was because it was such a simple power and took less effort and mind control to use. So having mastered that in all but three hours, she decided to move onto Magneot's power. She was getting to be quite good at it although she did get bad headaches if she tried to move something that was too big. At the moment, too big was anything heavier than her clock radio.

Rogue had considered trying to use Logan's abilities. Head Remy had assured her that the inhanced hearing and smelling would be very simple to use and master but in contrast, the healing ability would be very hard to use comfortably for the foreseeable future. That alone had put her off wanting to try using it. She remembered all too well the pain trying to use it had called after the fight in the cafe and she wasn'y overly eager to go through it again. She probably would start practising with it before her grounding was over and it wasn't like there was an immediate need for it. She had more sense than to get herself into such a situation that required instant healing.

A sudden knock on her door broke Rogue's concentration. The paperclips above fell from the atmosphere and bounced a little upon contact with her stomach before coming to a complete rest. She frowned slightly in annoyance and brushed the paperclips off of her stomach and down next to her side so they weren't visible from the door way. The sound of the key turning in the key hole and the door unlocking reached her ears and she took up a casual position; hands under her head and staring up at the ceiling. Eventually, the door opened and Logan came walking in.

"Hey kid." He greeted with a grunt. "How's it goin'?"

"Okay Ah s'pose." Rogue sighed, not bothering to look at him. "Though spendin' mah Saturday locked away in mah room ain't exactly what Ah planned on doin'." She added, her tone turning grumpy.

"Should'a thought of that before you went sneaking off 'til two in the mornin'." Logan replied sternly, giving Rogue the urge to roll her eyes. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we're leaving for the ice rink now."

Oh yeah, she'd forgotten about that. That month's school outing was to a local ice rink which the Professor had reserved for their private use for the whole afternoon. Of course, part of the punishment was that Rogue wasn't allowed to go. She wasn't too bothered though. Sure, she'd miss out on the fun of seeing Logan ice skating but other than that, she didn't care. It just meant she'd have the run of the entire school to herself.

"Are ya? Kay then, see ya later." She replied casually as she rolled off of her bed and walked up to where Logan was standing just beside the open door way. She continued on to go past him but he moved his arm to block her path. She stopped in her tracks and tilted her head slightly and looked at him.

"Where d'ya think you're goin'?" He asked gruffly.

"To the kitchen." She answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Last time I checked, you still had three more days of solitary to go." He pointed out.

"Well yeah, but ya'll are goin' aht anyway. Does it really matter if Ah go dahn a few minutes before ya go? Most people are already on the coach. Ah ain't gonna talk to anyone." She pointed out.

"Since when were you allowed to leave the room?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's not like you can stop me." Rogue said with a small, playful laugh. "Ah mean, what ya gonna do? Keep me locked in the room even while ya'll are all aht?" Rogue laughed a little more at her intended joke but when she noticed Logan wasn't even smiling, her laughter died away to be replaced by grim realisation. "You're not...You're gonna lock me in here while ya'll go aht!" She cried indignantly.

"No priveledges." He replied simply.

"But it's a total health and safety violation! If there's a fahre Ah'm trapped!" She reminded him angrily.

"The school's fire system is state of the art. It would act the second anything happened. A fire would be put out long before it reached the upper floor." He assured while frowning a little at her tone.

"And what if it started upstairs? In the room raht next to me? Skin maht not like touching me but Ah'm sure as Hell fahre won't have a problem!" She yelled.

"Ever heard of stop, drop and roll?" Logan grunted as he turned to leave the room. It didn't take a psychic to know that if the conversation continued, it'd quickly blow up into a massive arguement. Now, usually, arguing with Rogue wasn't too bad. They'd ignore each other for a few days but then they'd make up. They'd apologose, they'd hug, he'd take her out somewhere, usually for ice cream. At this moment in time however, he couldn't afford to get in her bad books for even a day. She was being secretive enough as it was. He didn't want her to have the excuse of being mad at him as a reason for not talking to him as well.

Rogue crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at the carpeted floor as the door clicked shut and the key was turned, sliding the lock back into place. She couldn't believe he was going to keep her locked in her room while absolutely everyone was out! What was she? A bird? A hamster? Her eyes still fixed in a glare, she went over to her window and looked down to see the last few people, including Logan, boarding the hired coach. The door of the coach slid shut moments before the engine started. Seconds later, the coach had driven off and everything around was silent and still.

Slouching against the wall beside her window and desk, Rogue gave a huff and considered her options. She could go out, but she had no money so there was no point. She could stay in her room but she was already un-bearably bored in there. She could leave her room and mooch around the school but...She couldn't be bothered to think of a downside to that; she knew that's what she was going to end up doing. She gently pushed herself off of the wall and walked straight towards the door. She vanished from the room in wispy smoke after only a few steps.

* * *

Forty-seven noisy mutant teenagers in one coach. Paper aeroplanes flew in all directions as did fireworks and little exploding balls. Every so often, one of the girls would scream in surprise. The scream would be followed by laughter, mostly from the boys. The laughter would change into cries as whoever it was who screamed got their revenge. Then, the process would repeat. Had it been any other day, Logan would've sorted them all out long ago. He was too distracted with his own thoughts to be bothered with what was going on around him though.

Maybe he shouldn't have left Rogue alone...He probably should've stayed with her. That way, he could have tried to talk to her again. He had tried to talk to her the moment she had woken up the day after she had left without telling anyone and promptly fainted upon her return. She had been too out of it though. He had, had to pratically carry her down the stairs so she could meet with the Professor and the other teachers. That meeting had been less than productive. They had all ended up arguing amongst themselves, while Rogue sat silently at the side, after he had started on Hank who had brought up Rogue possibly being schizophrenic again.

Schizophrenic...That word sent a shiver through him now. He didn't want Rogue to be mentally ill because that would mean she was suffering in a way he couldn't heal. He doubted his healing factor would do any good on a mental condition. He wanted to believe she was all right. He so badly wanted to believe that she wasn't ill, but it was getting harder to find explanations for her strange behaviour. He found himself very worried and he didn't like it. When a guy like himself started to worry instead of keeping cool and calm, it was an un-deniably bad situation.

The sudden realisation that everyone on the coach was moving forced Logan to cut his thoughts off. His focus returning to what was going on around him, he noticed that the coach had stopped and everyone was getting off. He quickly got up from his seat and followed on behind the last few students onto the street. They began to file into the sports centre where the ice rink was located but Logan was pulled aside by Jean and Scott before he could enter the building. One glance at them told him something was wrong.

"What?" He said simply, trying to keep the anxiety and fear he felt out of his voice.

"Something's happening back at the school." Jean told him in a hushed voice so she wasn't overheard. "I think there's someone in there besides Rogue."

* * *

Rogue reappeared in the corridor on the other side of her bedroom door. She casually strolled down the corridor until she reached the stairs where upon she paused and seemed to consider something. Grinning in anticipation, she leaned to her side and let herself topple over the side of the banister. The sensation of falling lasted only a few seconds before she vanished in smoke. She re-entered the world neatly, with her feet on the ground. She gave a breath of satisfaction and stretched. There was something about the sensation of falling that she loved. When she had fallen out of the jet before, sure she had been terrified of dying but she had also ot a strange kind of buzz from it. Obviously, she wasn't suicidal and she wasn't about to go jumping out of planes or anything, but now she had mastered teleportation, she could take a few more risks, have a bit more fun.

Rogue slouched against the side of the stairs and contemplated what she could do, her eyes focused on her feet which she wiggled playfully. A sudden indistinguishable noise to her side made Rogue pause her thoughts though. She looked up casually in the direction the noise had come from and wasn't surprised when she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It had probably just been the house creeking. She shook her head dismissively and moved into the kitchen, promptly beginning to search through the many cuboards in there. She gathered various, random jars of stuff and set them down on the counter. She went over to the fridge to grab the butter while she used Magneto's power to open the drawer with the cutlery in it, just for practise.

Another noise reached her ears which sounded a little like a dor softly closing. Rogue's head shot up and she frowned in suspicion. She shut the fridge door and moved to the doorway so she could stick her head around the edge. The corridor in front of her was completely empty. She looked behind herself and still found nothing and nobody. Her fornw deepened with added confusion and she reluctantly returned to the kitchen, getting some bread on her way back to where the jars rested.

Rogue held her right hand up and a butter knife floated up from the cutlery drawer and over to her. After plucking the the knife from the air, she proceeded in the task of making herself a sandwich. Buttered the two slices of bread then covered one slice in crunchy peanut butter and the other in chocolate spread. One slice was placed on top of the other as a large, sharp knife floated into Rogue's out-stretched hand. Just as she was about to cut the sandwich, a loud bump came from the dining room.

Rogue whipped around and stared suspiciously at the door which led into the dining room on the opposite side of the kitchen. Still holding the sharp knife, she hurried over to the door. She reached out for the door knob but instead of taking hold of it, she let her hand hover over the brass handle in hesitation. Rogue suddenly shook her head and huffed in irritation, annoyed by her own apprehension. Without further procrastination, she flung the door open and...

...Found nothing. The dining room was empty of anything un-usual. Letting out a relieved sigh, Rogue backed back into the kitchen, pulling the dining room door shut as she did so. She turned back to her sandwich but found that it was no longer on the counter top where she had left it. Her heart rate increased ten fold as fear gripped her. The missing sandwich was definate proof that something funny was going on.

The sudden sensation of eyes on her from behind caused Rogue to freeze momentarily, too frightened to dare moving. It was only for a few moments though because in the blink of an eye, she had lifted her arms and raised all the knives, forks and spoons out of the still open cutlery drawer. She spun around harshly and sent the wall of cutlery shooting in the direction of whoever it was behind her...

* * *

Oooooo, cliff hanger! I can just hear the groans of frustration )  
So, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry the update took a while. Lots of stuff going on at the moment; school work, hamster with cancer, school work, helping my friend to move into her first apartment, school work, day trip to Camden Market, did I mention school work? )  
Catch ya'll next time.

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	9. Chapter 9

Hi everyone :) 

My replies to your reviews:

EmeraldKatsEye: Hmm, that's actually a pretty good guess. Not totally on the mark but still a pretty good guess :) Hope the update was quick enough for ya :)

hesquidor: Well, I thought that since Logan and Rogue seem to be the closest, Logan would be in charge of her punishment, kinda like a guardian thing. All the punishment was decided in the meeting which wasn't written so you can use your imagination on how Xavier and the others reacted to Logan's idea.

Silverbell914: There are typos? I'm not too surprised, I posted last chapter in kind of a hurry. I'll probably go through it at some point and fix it all. Thanks for letting me know though, much appreciated :)

IvyZoe: Interesting thoughts on the schizo situation. I'm just drawing off past experiances so how the teachers are reacting is basically how my parents reacted lol. As for ROMY moments, man, are you gonna love this chapter :D

ishandahalf: Glad you liked the cliffy. And is it Remy? Hmm, we'll just have to see. As for taking over the world, hey, I'm game :D

smiteme: Just about as strict as my parents. I'm often the victim of a dose of solitude lol.

Silent Doom: I'm glad the fact it wasn't an action filled chapter last time didn't take away the entertaining...ness...Anyway, thanks for the condolances about little Foo. He's still alive and kicking so there's still hope :)

Meraculas: I hurried as quick as I could. Hope the chapter came quick enough for you :)

Stinky-chan: Lol, great name :D Thanks for reviewing.

dana: Hope this update came quick enough for you :)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Ooooo, pinned to the wall...I never even thought of that possibility lol.

Green Bird 2071: So glad that you liked the chapter so much :D

Shaishe: Yes, we all hate cliffhangers, unless you're the author who wrote the clifhanger, than it's fun :)

texasgrrl: Maybe it's a hungry psychopath who wanted to eat the sandwich before he got blood all over it...Or not...O.o

Freak87: (wipes drool from corner of my mouth) Soooooo...Biiiiiig...(cough) Anyway, thank you again for the massive review. I love them so much. I agree that solitary is harsh but my parents do it to me and I feel like having someone suffer as much as I do lol. I'm the same with music! Always have to have something on. I'm allowed to have a walkman in school so I can listen to it all the time...Well, except in lessons which kinda sucks. As for your guess, I think the answer was pretty obvious all along don't you? I'm kinda disappointed with that cliffhanger. They usually aren't that obvious. Oh well, I'll just make sure to get you all back with another one at some point :D

Friend to All. I'm so glad you think I've got Logan balanced out and that you liked the last scene. That was really fun to write as well. Hope I haven't kept you in suspence for too long :)

Nicki: Hope the update came soon enough :)

Cult of Misha: That's my favourite kind of sandwich :D And believe me, it's more than worth get hit by a couple of dozen kitchen utensils.

tinaniaadora: Hope the update came soon enough :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it :) Hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long :)

switchroxy: Good to hear you're liking the story. Hope the update came quick enough for ya :)

Anna: A very valid point about the other stuff which could happen which will be adressed later in this chapter :) Glad you're enjoying the story though :)

Bubbles1662: Ooooo, ROMY adventures. (joins you in starry eyed gaze)

Once again, so many lovely reviews. Again, thank you all so much for taking the time to review )  
Okay, I think it's pretty obvious who it is in the house with Rogue so I'm not that surprised that everyone who guessed got it right. I was pleased to find that it was still enough of a cliffy to bug some people :) I'm cruel like that :D Some warnings here people. Naughty language is contained within. Nothing too major, unless you count a few uses of the f word at the very beginning, but I just wanted to give you all the heads up on it.

* * *

Shit! I fucked up big time! knew I shouldn't have left her on her own! I should've stayed with her. Now she's locked in the school with some fucking maniac with no way to escape! I thought she'd be safe. I checked the fire alarms, I triple checked security. I thought she'd be safe, I really did! There was nothin' else I could've done... 

And that's what's so God damn pathetic...

* * *

The dull thuds of metal objects lodging into wood was all that could be heard for several, horribly quiet moments. When the final piece of cutlery hit the door, everything was again still and silent. Rogue took notice of what was in front of her for the first time and saw that there was no one standing anywhere behind her or even laying/cowering/injured/dead on the floor. She let out a huge, shuddered sigh and leaned against the counter next to her to support her suddenly shakey legs. She tiredly held her face in her hand and lowered her head, her eyes closing. It was all in her imagination. Things had been stressful for her lately and it was making her imagination work over time. There was no one watching her or making noises. It was, like so many things, just in her head. The noises were just the house, the being watched was her imagination and her sandwich...Well, she couldn't explain that so she just decided to ignore it. 

After giving another sigh, Rogue straightened up and turned around, intending to get more bread. However, upon turning, she collided with someone else. She screamed in surprise and backed away quickly, stumbling a little in her haste. It didn't take her long to realise that it was actually the form of Remy which she had bumped into.

"Jesus Swamp rat! What ya tryin' to do! Give me a heart attack or just make me think Ah'm losing mah mind!" She gasped out irritably, pressing her hand against her pounding heart.

"Sorry, but Remy couldn' resist dhe temptation of teasi' his chere." He grinned playfully at her. Rogue glared at him and noticed something in his right hand.

"Whah'd you steal mah sandwich!" She yelled, her now half eaten sandwich being the object in Remy's grasp.

"Remy hungry. He missed lunch." He replied with a shrug.

"Ya could've just asked me to make ya your own insteada stealin' mahne." She grumbled while nudging past him to finally get more bread. "What are ya doin' here anyway?" She asked as she moved back over to the jars, bread in hand.

"Remy came to keep you company cherie." He answered as he lifted himself up to sit on top of the counter beside Rogue.

"How'd ya get past the security system?" She continued to question, though her tone was now less hostile and more calm.

"Wasn' too hard. Dhere some blind spots on dhe east side of dhe garden so it was easy enough to ge' in dhe grounds. As for gettin' in dhe building, Remy climbed up to an open window." He explained before taking a bite of the sandwich. Rogue considered what he said and guessed the open window was probably the one in Jubilee's and Kitty's room. She grinned at the thought of the lecture they'd get if the teachers found out. "Expected a higher standard of security from a place like dhis." Remy continued after swallowing a bite of sandwich. She merely shrugged in reply.

Rogue looked up from her sandwich and glanced around herself for a moment before appearing to remember something. She peered over her shoulder and saw all the cutlery still lodged into the door and the surrounding wall. A faint, embarassed blush tinged her cheeks while she lifted her right hand and stretched it out in front of herself. She went to draw it back to her body but found she couldn't. Her blush faded and she frowned slightly in annoyance and determination before sharply yanking her arm back. As she did so, the cutlery dislodged from the door and wall and jolted forward harshly before pausing for a second and then smoothly floating over into the, still, open drawer. Rogue took a sharp knife from the air as it passed her and used that to cut the sandwich. All this had been watched very carefully by Remy as he continued to eat his stolen sandwich.

"Dhat a handy trick." He commented as Rogue dropped the two dirty knives in the sink to her left and then nudged the cutlery drawer shut with her hip.

"Yeah. Guess the fact Magnerto tried to kill me has one advantage." She muttered darkly. Remy's eyes widened in surprise at Rogue's words and tone and it didn't go un-noticed by her. She gave a tired sigh and her shoulders sagged as though burdened by a heavy weight. "Ah'm sorry. Ah'm just a little stressed. Hasn't exactly been the best coupla days ever." She apologised, offering a forced smile.

"Solitary startin' to get to you hmm?" Remy guessed sympathetically.

"It's just so borin' and being so bored is so frustratin'. Ah think Ah'd actually have prefered the Professor's idea of talkin' 'bout stuff but he had to go and cave in to Logan's stupid solitary idea." She moaned as she put away the jars she had got out. "Ah trahd callin' ya a few tahmes but ya phone was always off." She added, turning her head to look at him.

"Yeah...Remy was in Louisiana. Didn' really wanna be disturbed you know?" He told her solemnly. Rogue stopped her movements and switched her full focus onto her friend.

"You were in Louisiana?...How'd it go?" She inquired gently.

"Not so good. Wen' to find ou' facts more dhen anyt'in' but Remy found dhat even dhey were hard to find." He murmured, sounding disappointed. "Got a look at dhe headquarters dhough and you're right chere, no way is Remy gettin' in dhere by himself."

"We could go together, right now." Rogue offered half-heartedly. She wanted to help buther helping meant leaving the school and that would probably mean more punishment. She didn't like that but she didn't like Remy being so sad even more.

"Non chere. Remy not gon' get you into anymore trouble by making you sneak ou'." He told her stubbornly. "Jean Luc in no immediate danger. He's jus' dhe bait to get Remy over dhere. Dhere's no immediate rush." He continued, his words casual and relaxed but his tone betrayed him by sounding worried.

"Well, that's something at least." Rogue encouraged, not really knowing what else to say.

"Hmm..." Remy merely hummed in reply.

Rogue watched his forlorn expression sadly and found that the irrisistable urge to hug him was rapidly creeping up on her. Would it be wise to give in to that urge though? It might be mistaken as a romantic gesture, which although she would like it to be, it couldn't be. She wouldn't allow Remy to get himself involved with her that way. She couldn't touch after all. What sort of relationship can you have if you can't touch?...

Well, there was that scarf she bought...

No, it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be a good idea...But surely giving him a hug wouldn't be so bad right? Just an innocent, friendly, friend hug. Nothing romantic, nothing overly intimate. Just a friendly hug between friends. Because that's what they were. They were friends...

But it could be so much more...

No it couldn't! She can't touch and therefore can not have a normal relationship. After she was satisfied that she had completely convinced herself that it was the truth, Rogue put her sandwich down and moved a little closer to Remy. She ignored the little voice inside asking why she was so nervous if it was nothing but a friendly hug and slowly slipped her arms around his waist...

"See, this is fahne. A simple, comforting hug. Plenty of layers in between and absolutely nothing romantic abaht it. Totally safe. Nothing to worry abaht. Okay, he just put his arms arahnd mah waist but that's normal. It's just a sahgn that he ain't uncomfortable and that's good. Good to know he's feeling comfortable...Erm, did he just tighten his hold or was that mah imagination? Not that Ah'm payin' that much attention to the situation of course 'cause Ah'm completely at ease. Ah'm totally fahne with the entire situation...Even though his head is restin' on mah shoulder! Oh Ghad, Ah can feel him breathin' on mah neck!

Hmm, that actually feels kinda nahce...

No! This is not nahce! It's bad! Very bad! He's too close. Something's gonna happen and Ah'll have an unconcious Cajun to explain to Logan and the others when they get back. Gotta think of a reason to pull away...

He's so warm though and he smells so gooooood...

No, gotta stop thinkin' lahke that. Those thoughts are not gonna help the situation! Focus on an excuse. Any excuse...

Do Ah really have to pull away though? He obviously knows the risks. He'll be careful...

Nope! Sorry, can't take that chance. Can't...Wait...Is he?...He's not...Oh crap! He's started nuzzling! He's nuzzling mah neck...Hey, did Ah just hear someone sigh? Was that me? Did Ah just sigh! Gahd, this is so embarrassing!

But good.

Shut up! Oh Gahd, please say somethin' Remy! Ah don't care what, just say something to ruin the moment, to give me a reason to pull away. Any little thing will do!"

"Remy didn' t'ink you'd get dhis bold 'til our first date cherie."

"That'll do!"

Rogue pulled away from the warm embrace perhaps just a little too quickly before doing her best to glare convincingly up at Remy.

"And what date would that be?" She asked, managing to control her voice quite well.

"Dhe date dhat Remy get to take you on 'cause he won dhe bet." He replied with a hint of cockyness in his voice, his empathy allowing hm to know exactly how he was effecting her.

"Erm, Ah hate to burst ya bubble Swamp Rat but ya lost that bet." Rogue reminded him. "It was a trap, just lahke Ah knew it would be. Ah was raht, you were wrong. Ah won, you lost."

"Let us study dhe actual phrasing of dhe bet hmm? If Remy recall correctly, and he does, his exact words were "if not'in' unexpected happens". Not'in' unexpected did happen chere. Remy knew it was gon' be a trap, dhat's why he didn' wan' you to come alon'." He explained, his tone now annoyingly cocky. An annoyedfrown formed on Rogue's face. She was annoyed at Remy for using such a cheap trick and she was even more annoyed with herself for not picking up on it sooner...But something suddenly occured to her...

"Wait, somethin' unexpected did happen. Juli's goons shot at me and later, when we were in the apartment above Joe's cafe, ya said ya thought they had more honour than that. You didn't think they'd do that. Ya didn't know they'd shoot at me which means it was something unexpected. Somethin' unexpected did happen and you said it wouldn't." She countered with a huge grin on her face. "So, Ah was raht and you were wrong! Ah did win and, yes, you did lose!" She laughed triumphantly. Remy stared at her in disbelief, his jaw hanging open a little. After a while, he seemed to recover sufficiantly enough to frown in disappointment.

"T'ought Remy was supposed to be dhe t'ief 'round here." He grumbled. "And dhere you go stealin' his victory."

"Ah'm sure you'll get over it." Rogue told him, her huge grin still stuck firmly on her face. "C'mon Swamp Rat, Ah wanna beat ya at some pool." She challenged playfully as she led Remy out of the kitchen.

* * *

Rogue 2, Remy 1. That was the final score between the two at pool. Remy had started making excuses when it was clear he would lose their fourth game and had insisted on settling the score over cards. Rogue had reluctantly agreed, the hope of beating him at, literally, his own game spurring her on.

So, now they were in the sitting room, sat on the floor opposite one another with two piles of cards in front of them; one facing up, one facing down. Both held their own fans of several cards but, where as Remy was annoyingly casual, his cards simply resting on his lap, Rogue held hers close to their chest and was much more serious. She studied her cards carefully before plucking one out of the fan and placing it down on the pile that faced up. Remy took his turn much faster and placed an eight of clubs down on the same pile.

"Spades." He said, drawing out the word as though he wasn't completely sure.

"Haven't ya already put dahn the eight of clubs before?" Rogue asked him, frowning in suspicion.

"Obviously haven' since dhere it is now." He replied reasonably, though something in his voice told her that he was hiding something. Rogue continued to frown but said nothing more. She sighed in annoyance as she realised she had no suitable cards in her current hand and grudgingly picked one up from the pile which faced down. Her face brightened a little when she saw that the card she picked up could at least be used. A sly grin formed on Remy's face as he placed down another of his cards, the eight on spades, on the pile facing up. "Hearts." He said, his grin remaining.

"Would ya stop changin' it!" Rogue exclaimed in exasperation, the card she just picked up now useless like the rest. She glanced down to see what card he had placed down and her frown returned. "You're cheatin'!" She accused angrily.

"How?" He asked, his face a mask of innocence.

"You've got extra cards!"

"Dhat kinda goes agains' dhe object of Crazy Eights chere. You meant to ge' rid o' dhe cards, not get more."

"If you ain't cheatin' then whah do Ah have that card as well?" She countered, holding out her own eight of spades. Remy stared at her for a moment.

"How do Remy know you not dhe one cheatin'?" He finally replied.

"'Cause Ah ain't the one with a couple dozen packs of the same type of cards!" Rogue cried before suddenly diving forward and pouncing on him. Caught off guard, Remy was thrown off balance and they both fell onto the floor with a slight thud.

After a bit of a struggle, Rogue managed to pin Remy's arms down with her knees. That left her arms free so, all complexes about her skin forgotten, she could slide her hands up Remy's sleeves. Surely enough, she found several loose cards up there and, pulling them out, revealed that they were mainly eight cards of various suits. She held them up so he could see and smirked down at him, gloating over the fact she knew him better than he thought she did. Remy interrupted her small celebration though and yanked his arms suddenly, unbalancing Rogue in the process and causing her to tip over. Remy quickly dove onto Rogue as she began to try and shuffle away and the situation switched to his control. A small, playful wrestling match followed before Remy finally managed to pin Rogue down beneath him. The whole mood then suddenly changed from playful toserious.

Rogue had giggled the whole time and continued to do so until she felt Remy tenderly brush his bare finger tips against one of the white streaks in her hair. Her breath caught in her throat and her giggles ended abrubtly with a choaked squeak. Her eyes flashed open and she stared up at Remy uncertainly. He simply stared back with soft, caring eyes. They stayed frozen that way for an uncanny amount of time before Remy began to inch his face closer to hers.

"Remy..." Rogue whispered fearfully, causing Remy to stop dead. "Ah don't want to hurt..."

"I know, but I also know that you want it as much as I do." He murmured, letting his eyes drift shut. Rogue was too stunned at the fact he hadn't referred to himself in third person to even reply. She continued to watch nervously as he drew ever closer to her. So warm, so comforting, so reassuring...She allowed her own eyes to drift shut and found hereself eagerly tilting her head up to meet him faster. They were so close, so near to touching...

The sound of a distant door banging open suddenly reached their ears. Both flashed open their eyes in an instant and they snapped their heads to the side to stare at the entrace of the sitting room from which the front hallway was visible from.

"Rogue?" Scott's voice called out.

"Don't call out! You'll give 'em time to run off!" Logan's voice came next though it sounded more distant than Scott's. Rogue's mouth still dropped open in horror though; Logan was back!

* * *

Oh my God! They're back! And Rogue and Remy are in such a comprimising position! Is Logan gonna find them like that? Or maybe Scott or Jean? Or will they find a way to hide? You're just gonna have to wait and see :D  
Catch ya'll next time.

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	10. Chapter 10

Hi everyone :) 

The reviews are in and due largely to the fact I feel bad if I don't, I have replied:

silverbells: Maybe they will be in trouble, maybe they won't. I guess you'll never know...Unless you read this chapter that is...O.o

Cult of Misha: Oooo, long review :) Glad to hear you liked the chapter so much. I won't keep talking so you can go one and see how Rogue explains everything. Enjoy :)

tara: Cliffies; author's dreams, reader's nightmares :D

IvyZoe: Fear not, for soon the father saving will begin. As for our dear little Head Remy, he will pay us a visit in this very chapter :)

Meraculas: Hey, I've heard worse than damn you believe me :)

EmeraldKatsEye: Worried it's gonna go Cajun Spicey...Erm...You might wanna skip at least chapter 12 and 13 then, possibly even 14 /

enchantedlight: Hope the update came soon enough for ya :)

smiteme: Glad you approve of the cutlery trick :) Thank ya much for reviewing.

DOOMpenguin43: Oooooo, cool name :) Thanks for reviewing.

Bubbles1612: The Logan and Remy tussle will come eventually, just not now. It needs some time to stew and develop in my head :)

Silent Doom: Scott, Logan and Jean have all come back. Doesn't really need the whole school does it:) Good to hear it was kinda suspensful for ya. Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the last one :)

Green Bird 2071: Scott does have a lot to deal with doesn't he? Ya gotta feel a little bad for him. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Shaishe: Yes, yes, it is fun. Even more fun to read people's reactions to them lol :)

texasgrrl: Eh, trying to throw you off the scent, it was worth a shot :) Hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Maybe she could teleport away. It's a possibility...You'll just have to read on to find out...:)

ObsedianFox13: So glad you're liking the story and feel free to babble. I like reading people's babble :)

Friend to All: Good to know that reading the lst chapter cheered you up :)

hesquidor: Lol, same here :)

Nicki: Hope the update came soon enough :)

Freak87: (sings) You write, giant reviews! I dig, giant reviews! We dig, giant reviews! Chicks dig, giant reviews! Yeah...Sorry, it had to be said :D Okie dokie, once again, loved the review. Glad to hear you're still wondering about the shopping bags. They weren't mentioned for a reason last chapter so it wasn't just me and continuity errors :) Jean has come back as well though you'll see this in this very chapter. As for the teleporting away, I think it's a little more than obvious that that's gonna be the escape method...Dude, I need to work on my cliffies :)

Xtreme Nuisance: Ooooo, the sandwich thing made you want a sandwich? Did you get one? And if so, what type? Sorry, I'm just weirdly curious about that kinda thing :D I'd be the same on the killing situation, especialy if it was with someone like Remy...(drools)

So here we all are. Chapter 10. The big 1 o. And you know what? I don't think this is even half done yet. I've still got to officially write down the chapter plans but I see this going on for more than another 10 chapters. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Suppose it'll be a good thing if I can keep up the good work and keep you all entertained. Could be a bad thing if I start to get bored and/or writer's block starts to set in (touch wood.  
Oh well, enough babbling about boring stuff from me. Hope ya'll enjoy this latest chappie :)

* * *

Oh mah Gahd! Logan's back! Whah is Logan back? They ain't meant to be back for another three hours at least! And Ah'm lahke this with Remy! This is so bad in so many ways. What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO! Okay, calm down. There ain't no reason to get all freaked and aggitated. Just think straight. Calm down, think straight and act the moment you decide something... 

Though you maht wanna hurry up. Just a suggestion.

* * *

Both reacted immediately. Remy rolled off of Rogue and began to gather the scattered cards while Rogue used magnetism on to door handles to drag the doors to the sitting room shut, not only hiding them from view but also acting as an extra obsticle to slow down the teachers and Logan. Once Remy decided that picking up the cards was too fiddley, he simply began to charge them enough so they exploded but didn't give off too loud a bang or do too much damage. They scorched the carpet but that was about it. Once all the cards had been dealt with, Rogue took hold of Remy's hand and pulled him to his feet before teleporting them away seconds before the doors flew open...

* * *

Logan burst into the sitting room just in time to see the wisps of black smoke start to fade away. Scott and Jean soon joined him but hung back by the doorway. 

"A teleporter." Jean sighed as though it should've been obvious the whole time.

"And a pyro." Scott added, noticing the patches of scorched carpet.

Logan smelt the air. Sulphur, burnt nylon, smoke and a scent that was definately human but wasn't familiar. In other words, it didn't belong to anyone at the school. Too caught up in memorising the stranger's scent so that he could hunt him down and rip him to shreds, he failed to notice that Rogue's scent also lingered heavily in the atmosphere.

A sudden bamphf out in the front hall caught Logan's attention and he ran from the room, roughly barging past Scott and Jean. Upon reaching the hallway, he looked up just in time to see the tail end of a brown tench coat fly around a corner...

* * *

Remy and Rogue reappeared at the top of the stairs, over looking the front hallway. Rogue quickly pulled Remy into motion and they took off down the corridor which would eventually lead them to her bedroom. As they ran down the various corridors, Rogue's eyebrows knitted together in concentration. She focused on the metal rings of her shower curtain and moved them along the metal bar across the top of her shower, effectively pulling the plastic sheet across the gap. She then switched her attention onto the shower faucet. 

"Where are we goin'?" Remy whispered to her urgently, making her lose her focus.

"Hush! Ah'm workin' on gettin' you out okay?" She hissed before going back to her previous task. She managed to turn the faucet enough to turn the shower on but it was hard to do, being so far away from it and only a little bit of it being made from metal. The all too familiar ache in her head started, which was going to make it even harder to concentrate. None the less, she gritted her teeth and she and Remy once again vanished...

* * *

Logan wasted no time before charging forward again and acending the stairs as quickly as possible. When he reached the top, he took off down the same corridor Rogue and Remy had taken. He ran down one corridor after another, his anger dulling everything but the scent of the stranger. Turning one more corner, he saw the wispy black smoke again and froze in panic. The intruder had teleported away right in front of Rogue's bedroom...

* * *

They appeared out on the street, just outside the school walls. 

"Go!" Rogue ordered harshly. Then, without another word, she vanished again. She popped back up inside her bathroom which was repidly getting very steamy due to the hot shower which had been running for aminute or sonow. Rogue took all of half a second to consider what she was wearing and upon deciding she was wearing nothing that she was overly fond of, she teleported into the shower, fully dressed.

Once inside, she used Remy's power on her clothes to effectively un-dress quickly and destroy any evidence that she's been anywhere near Remy. Logan was certain to pick up on his scent and she wouldn't be able to deny she'd come into contact with him if it was all over her. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed some out into her cupped hand which she quickly rubbed over her head. She then grabbed a bar of soap and hurridly lathered up her body with one hand while the other hand worked the shampoo in her hair. It wasn't until she was thoroughly soapy that she realised something and groaned. She'd forgotten to ask Remy about her shopping bags!

* * *

The sound of running feet approaching him snapped Logan out of his freeze. He dashed up to Rogue's bedroom door and tried yanking it open before he remembered it was locked. He let out a frustrated and impatient growl as he released his claws, intending to simply rip the door down. However, as he drew his arm back, he heard the click of the lock as it slid aside, ultimately un-locking the door. A very quick glance over his shoulder showed him that Jean and Scott had finally caught up. It only just had time to register though before Logan charged into the room...

* * *

Rogue turned off the running water once she was free of soap before jumping out of the shower and grabbed a nearby towel. She quickly dried herself, speeding up even more when she heard her bedroom door bang against the wall next to it, signalling that at least Logan had arrived. Once she was suitably dry enough, she grabbed her bathrobe from it's hook on the bathroom door. After she had managed to pull it on, she took in a breath to prepare herself for one of many possible scenarios that was about to happen and then unlocked and opened the door...

* * *

Jean and Scott followed Logan into Rogue's bedroom, fully prepared to fight/handle a hostage situation/track down a kidnapper. When they entered though, they were surprised to find the room was empty, even of Rogue. 

"Did they take Rogue!" Jean gasped.

"No. The guy never came in here." Logan grunted after checking the air.

"Where's Rogue then?" Scott asked moments before the bathroom door opened and a damp-haired Rogue entered the bedroom, followed by a cloud of steam. She looked at each in turn with convincing confusion before giving them a sickeningly sweet and innocent smile.

"Ya'll are back early." She chimed cheerfully.

* * *

You didn't leave the room? 

How could Ah? The door was locked.

And you didn't hear anything?

Ah was in the shower.

I hardly think the sound of running water could've drowned out the sound of something practically ripping the dining room door apart.

The shower radio wason and Ah was singin' alon' to it.

What about the chocolate and peanut butter covered knives we found in the sink?

What abaht them?

They weren't there when we left.

Ah don't know, Ah wasn't there! How many tahmes do you wanna hear it?

Now Rogue...

It's been two hours now and the past one and a half hours has just been a repeat of the first half hour!

We just want to find out what happened.

And what makes you think Ah know! Ah've already told you, Ah didn't hear anything and Ah never saw anything! Don't you believe me or something?

Maybe we should wait for Logan to get back...

Whah! So he can take another two hours asking me the exact same questions as you two are?

I think maybe that's enough for now.

* * *

The last few days on Rogue's solitary passed without incident. Rogue was questioned about "the intruder" on another three occassions and each time she answered the same as she had the other times before. She knew they were trying to catch her out, especially Logan, and it was for that reason that she made sure to pay extra close attention to detail. She wouldn't allow herself to make a stupid mistake. She wouldn't allow them to find her out.

* * *

Rogue ran around her bedroom, lifting piles of things up every so often so she could check underneath. It was the day after her solitude had ended which meant normal classes could once again resume for her. That also meant that she had the same lunch break as everyone else and it wasn't until near the end ofsaid lunch break that she realised she didn't know where her French textbook for her next lesson was. However, forgetting that, it had been a pretty good day for Rogue so far. The morning had passed surprisingly quickly, maybe because her lessons were spent catching up with Kitty and Jubilee rather than paying attention and learning. 

There had been boring bits though and it was at these times that Rogue had tried to strike up a conversation with Head Remy. The key word there is "tried". Each time she asked or said anything to him, he would give a frustratingly brief response before retreating back into her subconscious. It was really starting to worry her. She wondered if maybe something was wrong, like maybe he was fading away because he'd been in her head for too long or maybe there was something wrong with her. Everytime she thought of a possible explanaition though, she'd think of something that challenged the idea. If Head Remy was fading away, why hadn't any one else in her head faded away and if there was something wrong with her, why could she still use the powers of the others in her head? It was really confusing her and she hated it. She wanted to know what was going on. So, it was time to ask Head Remy. Just ask him straight out...

"Hey Remy? Do you remember where Ah last had mah French book?"

...After a conversation had been started though, of course.

"Check under dhe bed." Remy's voice replied in a monotone. Rogue moved over to her bed and got down onto her stomach beside it. She slid her arm underneath and felt around; sock, dust bunny, something furry, something sticky and gooey! Rogue yanked her arm out from under the bed with a cry of disgust. She brought her hand up for inspection and found it covered with something which she was glad she wasn't quite sure what it was. She gingerly peeled the glove off and threw it in the bin beside her desk. She'd get another pair before she left for class. She slid her hand back under the bed, making sure to avoid the area the stuff was in. After feeling around for another minute or two, she finally felt the hard, flat surface of a book. She pulled the object out and found that it was indeed her French textbook.

"Thanks Remy." Rogue said silently, getting back to her feet. She waited for a reply. When she didn't get one, she continued on. "Ya...Erm...Ya ain't been arahnd lately. Well, Ah mean, ya've been arahnd obviously, ya in mah head, but ya haven't spoken that much, not even when Ah start the conversation and Ah was just wondering if there was anything wrong or anything Ah could help with..." Pause. "And ya still ain't sayin' anything even when Ah'm rambling. There is something wrong ain't there?"

"Non." The answer finally came after another pause. The bell that signalled the end of lunch suddenly rang but that didn't distract Rogue from the topicin the least.

"There must be something wrong! Ya've been keeping to yaself since Ah absorbed Juli...Did...Did Ah do any damage bah absorbin' him?" Rogue gasped fearfully as she left her room and hurried down the corridor. "'Cause it took ya a while to get him under control when he stated playin' up that tahme and lahke Ah said, ya ain't spoken much since. Ya don't even sing in the mornings anymore..."

A wave of guilt washed over the Remy trapped inside Rogue. In his own selfish method of protecting himself, he didn't even consider it's effects on his host. His plan had been a simple one; reduce personal connections so he wouldn't have to lie anymore. He knew the consequences of Rogue finding out the truth and he knew it was vital to keep said truth from her, no matter how much he disagreed with it. He thought it had all been working fine, until just now that is. He felt like kicking himself for being so inconsiderate and not noticing that she was worried.

Rogue was still talking, trying to find out what was wrong. Remy silently sighed and knew the plan had to be abandoned and he'd have to go back to lying again. Okay, yes, he was a thief and as a thief he was used to lying to most people he knew. He wouldn't have a problem with lying to the Pope if it meant he could get himself out of trouble. He couldn't lie to Rogue though. He'd been in her head for three months now. He knew everything about her. He loved everything about her and that was the problem...

Too wrapped up in his thinking, it wasn't until all most the last possible moment that he noticed Kitty, head-phones on and eyes down on a magazine, walking straight in Rogue's path. It was obvious that neither girl was paying any attention to where they were going and it was all to predictable that something bad was going to happen. He wasn't going to let anything happen without a fight though.

"Marie!" He yelled to grab her attention, interrupting her mid-sentence.

"What!" Rogue gasped a little frantically, her stream of rambling effectively cut off immediately. Her eyes refocused on the approaching Kitty and she skidded her rushed pace to an abrupt halt. Kitty however, didn't stop. "Kitty, watch it!" Rogue cried seconds before Kitty walked right into her. Her friend gave a surprised cry as she knocked into Rogue roughly and went falling back. Rogue reached out to stop her and, forgetting her hand was actually bare, grabbed Kitty's wrist.

Her power set in immediately and the shock stunned Rogue into stillness. She hadn't realised her glove was off and so wasn't prepared for the floods of thoughts, memories and emotions that surged into her. It wasn't until Kitty fell to her knees in exhaustion and jolted Rogue's arm down that she realised what was going on and ripped her hand away. She stumbled back a few steps, staring at her bare hand in horror and surprise.

"Kitty, Ah..." Rogue began to apologise but stopped mid-sentence when she curiously noticed she felt like she was sinking. She looked down herself and saw that she was actually sinking through the floor. She gasped in fear when she picked up speed and the floor reached her waist.

"Rogue!" Kitty cried, diving forward clumsily to try and grab hold of her. However, her hand simply phased through Rogue's when she went to take hold of it. Soon, Rogue had fallen completely through the floor and the only evidence she had ever been there was her fallen French book.

* * *

The end-of-lunch bell rang throughout the building and students and teachers alike headed to their classes. However, Logan, Hank and the Professor remained in the Professor's office, continuing thier discussion of Rogue which had been going on for about a half hour so far. 

"Logan, at least listen to reason." The Professor requested, gently but firmly, after listening to the man rant for a while.

"What reason? I see no reason to think Rogue's nuts and so she doesn't need to see a shrink." Logan muttered in reply from his position leaning against a wall.

"We're not saying she is mad." Hank disagreed calmly, maturely putting aside the use of the term "shrink". "It is obvious though, that something is bothering her. Since she's ignored all oppotunities we've provided for her to talk to any of us, we can deduct that she may feel uncomfortable talking to people she knows. My only reasoning behind making an appointment with Doctor Makenzie is that it may be enough to encourage Rogue to get some things off of her chest, so to speak."

"Why would she feel uncomfortable talking to us? We're her family, she can tell us anything, she knows that." Logan inquired roughly, knowing he was clutching at straws because he was fighting a losing battle this time. He'd been allowed to punish Rogue with solitary and he doubted he'd be allowed to get his own way this time as well.

"She sees us everyday. If she ever told us something private, she'd have to confront the fact we knew it everyday." Hank explained. Logan held Hank's gaze for a few heartbeats before switching to look at the Professor who lightly nodded his head twice. After seeing that, logan quickly looked away before giving a low growl.

"I'm still against the whole thing," he told them, his voice reamining low. "But I ain't gonna stop you."

"I'll make the appointment then." Hank stated, his tone sounding almost regretful.

Hank left the side of the Professor's desk, where he had been standing, and went to head out of the room. All of a sudden though, a blurred form fell from the ceiling, right in front of him. A ragged breath caught their ears for a second before the form reached the floor and fell through it. The three men glanced at each other, each unsure of what they had just seen. The door of the Professor's office suddenly banging open made them redirect their eyes from one another to Jubilee who now stood in replace of the door.

"Kitty and Rogue have had an accident."

* * *

Ooooooooo, the excitement...Kinda O.o I'm not sure if you could call that a cliffy. It's a really boring one if it is :) Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this latest addition. Let me know what you think and stick around for the next chapter.  
Catch ya'll later :) 

Hugs  
Wings of a Dream


	11. Chapter 11

R.I.P  
Fuu  
My darling hamster  
28th August 2002 - 24th February 2005

Thank you so much for being my best friend for the past two and a half years. May you no longer be suffering where you are now. I'll miss you. All my love.

In honour of his passing, reviews for last chapter will be answered next chapter along with the reviews for this chapter.

* * *

The roar of the blood circulating her veins was the only sound Rogue could hear as she continued to fall through the layers of the school. It seemed like an eternity ago that she had passed through the Professor's office and managed to gasp in some precious air. Now her lungs were burning from lack of oxygen and she had to clamp her hand over her mouth and pinch her nose to stop herself from trying to breathe. 

Just as Rogue started to worry about suffocating, she left whatever solid layer she had been in and fell into, what she quickly realised, was Cerebro. The first thing she did was take in several gupls of air in an attempt to sooth her aching lungs. That done, she suddenly noticed that she was close to crashing into into the platform in the middle of the sphere. She attempted to teleport but instead of vanishing like she usually did, she simply gave herself an unbearable head ache. She cried out, half in pain and half in surprise at the pain, and somehow managed to remember to brace herself for the impact of hitting the metal below. The impact never came though and she passed through, continuing her decent towards the base of the sphere.

Fear washed over Rogue as she considered the possibility of never stopping and falling until she died. She shut her eyes in dread as she got closer and closer to the bottom of Cerebro. She decided that whatever would happen, would happen. If Head Remy wasn't able to stop it in time, well, there was nothing she could do about that. Then, the familiar sensation of teleporting was felt by her. Seconds later, she fell from about a foot in the air onto something flat and cold. Opening her eyes, Rogue saw she was on the platform and staying on it, not sinking through it anymore. She may have liked falling, but only when she could breathe and knew she could stop herself.

"Well, that would've been fun, if it wasn't so completely terrifying." Rogue grunted silently, remaining still on the cool metal, the ache in her head blocking any urge to move any time soon.

"You okay chere?" Head Remy inquired.

"Ah'll live." Rogue muttered, rolling onto her back and staring up at the curved ceiling of Cerebro. "Whah wasn't Ah able to teleport when Ah trahd?" She questioned, her tone now more relaxed and lazy thanks to Head Remy's help.

"Kitty's power was still in effec'. You don' have enough control to use more dhan one power at dhe same time yet chere." He explained as he continued to help calm and soothe Rogue's pain.

"Oh..." Rogue hummed, just to show she had caught what he had said and had understood it. A brief silence followed before Rogue got the nerve to go back to the previous topic of Head Remy's recent distance. "Remy, abaht what we were talking..."

"Rogue, can you hear me?" The Professor's voice suddenly interrupted her. Rogue groaned at the second interruption of the afternoon and seriously considered ignoring him and just carrying on with what she was saying. She knew better though and reluctantly accepted the delay.

"Yeah, Ah can hear you."

"Are you all right?"

"Ah'm fahne."

"Where are you?"

"Insahde Cerebro." She answered without thinking. She surpressed another groan soon after once she realised her mistake. Now she couldn't just slink out and go back to relative norm. Now, she had to wait to be let out, assur a dozen people she wasn't injured despite the fall but then still have to suffer an examination from Hank.

"Okay. Don't worry Rogue, we're coming down to get you." The Professor reassured. Rogue bit back the urge to mutter "goody" and the link between her and the older mutant faded away. One completely sure the link was gone, she wasted no time in going back to her conversation with Head Remy.

"Remy..." She started to say.

"Remy know what you wan' say chere and he's gon' start off wit' an apology." He said, cutting off her sentence. "Remy didn' mean to make you worry and for it he is truely sorry."

"Whah weren't ya talkin' to me in the first place though? Ah don't understand. Did Ah do something? Say something?" Rogue asked sadly.

"Non chere, weren' your fault. You didn' say or do anyt'ing. It was all Remy. It's all his fault. He was selfish. T'hought dhat jus' not talkin' was better dhan lyin'." Head Remy explained, not realising what he was admitting until it was out of his mouth.

"Lahin' abaht what?" Rogue inquired, her tone clearly conveying her confusion.

If he had, had the time, Head Remy would've groaned at the predicament he was now in. As it was, he just went straight into considering his options. He could A) tell her THE truth, b) tell her a modified othertruth or c) just tell an all out lie. He immediately dismissed plan a, long ago realising the real truth wasn't an option. He didn't like the idea of lying to her but he also didn't like the idea of revealing the other truth. Either way though, he'd have to lie at least a little. In the space of a few seconds, he weighed out the pros and cons, evaluated his self-confidence and double checked both findings. Only then did he make his final decision; though not completely right, a half lie was better than a complete lie.

"'Bout how Remy feel for you chere." He answered soon after Rogue had spoken. "Been in your head for t'ree mont's now and it took less dhan half dhat time to him to fall and fall hard...You ever been jealous of yourself chere? Remy have. Strange feeling."

There's the truth.

"Dhat's why Remy been keeping his distance..."

That's the lie.

"He was jealous and too ashamed to admit it."

That's a half lie.

"Ya...Ya lahke me?" Was all Rogue could stammer out in response.

"Oui chere. And it hurts so much to know I can never really have you." He admitted.

Rogue noted his use of first person and that showed major levels all on it's own. She suddenly felt realy guilty about all the people in her head. All had once been a part of a real person, all had thier own thought, feelings, opinions and all of them had, had lives of their own before they joined her against their will. Now they all sat in her head with nothing to entertain them but old memories of how they used to be...How much they all must have hated her...

"Ah'm sahrry. Ah am so sahrry." Rogue said quietly, her voice laced with guilty tears, as she sat up and bowed her head.

"I know you are mon cherie and dhat's why I don' hate you." He answered gravely.

Suddenly, the electronic voice of Cerebro welcoming the Professor came and the doors to the chamber began to slide open. The conversation ended with Remy's last truth and left both of them feeling oddly satisfied.

* * *

For Rogue and Kitty, the afternoon was spent in the med lab, recooperating from the "incident". Apologies had been swapped, events were made light of and all was immediately forgotten between the two. Jubilee had been down to see them but only stayed a short while before leaving to head out shopping, claiming she was going to buy "get well" presants. Rogue and Kitty both knew it was just an excuse but neither had said anything. No point in spoiling their friend's fun. They were both discharged at four o'clock giving them plenty of time to chase up Ororo for their French homework, do other bits of homework and still have time to get ready for dinner at six o'clock. 

Now it was six o'clock and that meant dinner time. Rogue wasn't sure if she was pleased or not. Dinner time was really the only time the entire school was in one room and, considering the afternoon's events, she knew all eyes would be on her and Kitty. She really didn't want to spend the entire meal explaining what happened again and answering the questions of her peers. She felt like all she had been doing recently was answering people's questions and she was sick of it.

Rogue and Kitty entered the dinning room and Rogue cringed only slightly at the memory of the ruined door, which had since been replaced, on the other side of the room. Both scanned the room quickly to see if Jubilee had arrived before them and saved seats. Seeing their friend wasn't in the room, they found their own seats, being sure to save an extra one for Jubilee when she finally turned up. Right from the beginning, various students began to try and ask about what had happened but were severly glared at by Kitty if they asked anything more intrusive than "You guys okay?". After gathering their food from the various bowls and plates set out on the table, Kitty and Rogue made idle conversation with each other.

"...Neither of them are mature enough for a monogamous relationship..." Kitty said to Rogue quietly, giving her, her opinions on the others around them. Rogue was only half paying attention though. Getting Head Remy out of his "depression", (as she liked to call it) was like opening a flood gate and now he just wouldn't stop talking about everything and anything. So, the other half of her attention was busy listening to Head Remy explain why cologne is so much beter than after-shave.

"...Jus' had a nice, relaxing shave..."

"...I mean, just look..."

"...Dhen dhe after-shave goes on..."

"...Only a physical attraction..."

"...Starts to hurt like Hell and no homme likes un-neccessary pain..."

"...All over each other all the..."

"...Say you have to suffer for beauty don' know anyt'in'..."

"...'Mon! Do we really have to put up with seeing them..."

"...Isn't just perfume for hommes..."

"...Don't like each other, they just like making out..."

"...Don' sting..."

"...And that's why Bobby and Tabitha won't last the month."

"...And dhats' why cologne is so much better dhan after-shave."

"Now, as for why Logan'll never get Jean away from Scott..."

"Now, as for why after-shave even exists..."

"Hey look! There's Jubilee!" Rogue exclaimed, purposely being loud as to effectively end both conversations she was having to endure, as she waved over to her other friend who had just entered the room. Jubilee waved back with a suspicious amount of enthusiasm and practically ran over to them.

"Guess what! I got you a date!" Jubilee squealed happily to Rogue as she sat down next to her.

"Should we still guess?" Kitty asked, poking fun at Jubilee's phrasing.

"Wait, ya got me a what?" Rogue demanded with a frown, trying her best to ignore Head Remy who was furiouslyspouting questions for her to ask.

"I got you a date. Isn't that great?" Her friend giggled excitedly.

"With who!" Was all Rogue could get to come out of her mouth.

"A friend of mine who I saw while I was out. He's a great guy. Really nice for a human." Jubilee assured her.

"A human!" Kitty hissed, angry on behalf of Rogue. "You got her a date with a human!"

"You do realise that I'm still grounded for another three and a half weeks right?" Rogue said lamely, thinking of any excuse that she could.

"And what about her skin! I swear do you ever think?" Kitty muttered darkly.

"Okay, first of all, yes, a human. If that's a problem for you Kitty than I'm surprised. I thought you were better than that. Secondly, the being grounded doesn't matter, he's happy to wait. Third, it's one date and what do you take Rogue for? I'm sure she isn't the type to kiss a guy on the first date anyway, skin or not. Finally, that last remark Kit; ouch." Jubilee said, her tone taking on a sulky quality for the last sentance.

"Ah don't know Jubes. Ah mean, thanks and all but Ah don't think it's a good idea." Rogue told her gently, the whole situation depressing her, serving as a reminder of everything; first kiss, Bobby, poison skin.

"Oh c'mon Rogue! It's been a month since Bobby. You need guy company. You need to put yoursef out there a bit." Jubilee persisted, her tone encouraging.

Rogue remained silent. She really didn't like the idea of this date and not just because of her skin. She liked Remy. It was Remy, if it had to be anybody, who she wanted to date. Plus, she was starting to feel bad about just talking about going out with someone else. Granted, they weren't actually dating or even involved and they had nothing verbal or otherwise that binded them together, but talking about made her feel guilty, like she was betraying him in some way. Kitty and Jubilee had begun to argue with each other about the arranged date but Rogue refused to take part and stayed with her own thoughts. She wouldn't go on the date so there was no point in discussing it in any way.

All of a sudden, the horrible sensation of being watched ran through Rogue, making her blood turn cold. Every muscle in her body tensed by instinct, allowing her a better chance to run away if necessary. Then, in an instant, she whipped her head to the side in the direction the sensation was coming from. Her movements were so sudden though that she caught the attention of most of the people around her, including the teachers and Logan.

"What is it?" Logan asked her roughly, his eyebrows knitting together in concern though mostly everyone else interperated it as ander and/or suspicion.

"Ah..." Rogue began, though she trailed off almost immediately when her eyes homed in on a card floating to the floor in the entrance to the dining room. Remy? Was it Remy she had felt watching her? Why was he here again? Was he completely insane? Did he have a death wish? Logan would kill him if he caught onto his scent!

"Rogue." Jubilee mumbled whilst jabbing her in the ribs. Rogue pulled her eyes away from the entrance and turned to see that everyone who was in the room was now staring at her. The teachers, Logan, Kitty and Jubilee all looked at her with concern while most of the students either looked at her expectantly or as if she was nuts. Straight away she began to chide herself for letting her thoughts run away with her, something which seemed to be happening more and more recently. A blush found it's way to her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to the edge of the table.

"It's nothing. Ah just thought Ah saw something. Ah didn't though...It was just mah imagination." She explained lamely, keeping her gaze firmly stuck onto the table edge. No one said anything in response and it was almost like a silent group agreement to drop it and just continue on with the meal. Rogue let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and tentatively raised her head. Everyone was once again eating and talking to each other though the teachers did occassionaly look over at her, especially Logan.

Discreetly glancing to her side, Rogue was surprised to find that the card she had seen flutter to the floor was no longer there. She faught the urge to adjust her position to get a clearer look, just in case the card was there but her view was blocked by someone's head. However, she eventually had to admit to herself that there was no card there and that made her wonder if it had ever been there. Had she actually just imagined it like she claimed she had? Did she imagine the feeling of someone watching her as well?

Rogue gave a tired sigh and rubbed her eyes. Could she be sure of nothing anymore? What was happening? Everything around her was so confused and jumbled. She just wasn't sure of anything anymore. She just didn't know.

* * *

The entire school was dark and eerily quiet. Moon light filtered in through various windows creating creepy shadows, the type that make your imagination work over time. The only sounds that could be heard was the faint talking of a television set and the light, gentle padding of bare feet on hard wood.

Rogue yawned quietly and scratched the back of her head as she slowly walked down the stairs on her way to the kitchen. She wasn't sure what the exact time was but it was either very late or very early, depending on how you wanted to look at it. She'd only been able to sleep for a couple of hours at the most before a severe headache woke her up. Head Remy explained it was because of the newest addition to her head. So, unable to sleep, totally bored and quite hungry, she was going to entertain herself with food.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Rogue turned to head down the corridor which led to the kitchen. However, when she passed the entrance to the sitting room, she saw the young boy who never slept, blinking his way through the channels on TV. She stopped at the entrance and watched the flickering TV.

"Can't sleep again huh?" The boy said to her without turning from the screen.

"Yeah. Ah was just gonna get something from the kitchen. Ya want anything?" She inquired through another yawn.

"No, I'm good." The boy replied simply.

"Kay then. Catch ya later." Rogue mumbled, leaving the doorway and continuing on her journey to the kitchen.

Maybe it was because she was so sleepy or maybe she was too distracted by her pounding headache, but for whatever reason, as Rogue walked down the dark corridor to the kitchen, she failed to notice the eyes that stared at her and the presence at her side. So, because of all this, it was quite a surprise for her when she was suddenly grabbed around the waist and yanked into a room, she wasn't sure which. She instinctively tried to scream but a gloved hand came over her mouth and her loud protests were muffled to nothing more than a quiet, ignorable, drone. Rogue began to thrash around to try and get loose but after a few minutes, she felt a puff of something on her face and a strange, spicey smell filled her senses. She could feel her muscles weakening and her violent movement ceased. With a small groan/sigh, she passed out.

* * *

In loving memory of Fuu  
Wings of a Dream 


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone :)

(To the tune of "Singing in the Rain") Replying to reviews, replying to reviews! What a glorious feeling! Replying to you:

hesquidor: 11- Wow, you ADORE reading it? What a compliment :) I'm pleased to know you like it so much :)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: 11- So many questions, so little time to answer them all! Well, not really since all those questions will be answered in this chapter O.o  
12- Wow, really enthustiastic review there :) Glad you liked it so much.

Stinky-chan: 11- As much as I like writing cliffies, I start feeling bad if I keep you all hanging there for too long :)

Friend to All: 11- Gotta love your reviews :) Good to hear you're liking what I'm doing with the story. Hope you like this chapter just as much :)  
12- Yes, the re-telling of Cajun Spice is upon us. Get ready for fluff, humour and action :)

dana: 11- Glad to hear you're loving it :)

Green Bird 2071: 11- I'm so glad to hear that the escape scene was easy to follow. I wasn't sure myself. It's hard to judge your own stuff for clarity lol :)

EmeraldKatsEye: 11- I was gonna have Rogue and Remy have a bit of a bust up but now I'm not sure. Don't know if my heart's into writing angsty stuff at the moment. There will be angsty bits much later in the story, when it comes to summing everything up but I'm still not sure about right now...Oh well, I've got a whole chapter to decide. Anyways, glad to know it was a fun chapter for you and I hope this one will be just as entertaining :)

silverbells: 11- Glad to hear you liked it :)  
12- Ooo, the mysterious mysterys of the kidnapping O.o all will be revealed in this very chapter...

Bubbles1612: 11- You asked for more, I give you more. Pretty good system hmm:)  
12- Lol, ah, the confusion of it all. Don't worry, everything will be explained and made clear in this chapter.

DemonicGambit: 11- Yeah, people thinking you're nuts is a real kick in the teeth :)

enchantedlight: 11- Glad you liked it. Hope the update came soon enough :)  
12- Just read response for chapter 11 lol

Anna: 11- I was thinking that Rogue was too panicked to really consider the danger of what she was doing. I mean, you'd be as well wouldn't you? Being chased down by The Wolverine :D

ishandahalf: 11- Oh, you bet Rogue is gonna be pissed. But how will she react? Only time will tell :D  
12- I quite liked how the conversation turned out myself as well. Cheered me up quite nicely :)

Freak87: 11- LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! (cough) Okay, now that's out of my system :) Glad you approve of the Pope line. Not often I get good ideas for one liners but I like to think I have moments :) If you do think of a scenario where that happens, let me know, it'll be interesting to read. or, I could try it...I might think about that...(begins to get side tracked with one shot idea of Remy lying to the Pope)  
12- To me, Jubilee just seems like the kind of person who would fix their friend up on a date. She really strikes me as a match maker. The date issue has not settled yet, it will arrise again. Maybe not this chapter, maybe not next chapter, but it will arrise someday...As for who kidnapped Rogue, read on and find out...

abril4: 11- The powers are very handy aren't they? It'd be so cool to be Rogue. I think I could deal with the whole no touching thing if it meant I could do all that :D

Silent Doom: 11- It's the surprise factor I was thinking about when I wrote it. Don't worry about being impatient. I am as well. Taking so much self control to pace this story correctly lol :)

texasgrrl: 11- I know what you mean. Sometimes I just wish they'd all get a clue and realise the truth. But then again, what would be the fun in that :D  
12: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. So you think it's Mystique messing with Rogue? Interesting theory there. Is it right? Read on and see...

Ashlee: 11- Hope the update came soon enough for you :)

Nicki: 12- Glad you liked the update and do not fear, for all will be explained in this very chapter :)

adrenaline addict: 12- Thank you for the hamster condolences :) I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter so much :)

Shaishe: 12- Hope the update came soon enough :)

DOOMpenguin43: 12- Glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for who kidnapped Rogue and why, read on...

jade: 12- My last update was slow? I usually update in about a week and that was only a day late. Maybe it just seems more 'cause you're liking it so much :)

smiteme: 12- Yay, I rock :)

Xtreme Nuisance: 11- Yes...Peanut butter...O.o  
12- Lol, that's exactly what Rogue's gonna think :D

As always, thank ya all very much for the reviews and thank you all as well for the hamster condolences. It's nice to know that you all care.  
Okie dokie, onto business. In light of recent events in my life, angst, intense seriousness about anything non-fluff related and other stuff of that nature in this story are going to be post-poned. I really don't think it would be wise for me to wallow in sad stuff at the mo so things will remain mostly fluffy and light hearted. I was planning on starting some angst this chapter but I decided I liked it better fluffy. Angst will come in due time, but it won't be for a while yet. Don't like it? Oh well, no one's making you read it.

* * *

She wasn't sure what she became aware of first; the rocking and jolting of the ground beneath her, the sounds of a moving train and the gushing of the wind, the warmth that covered her like a blanket or the comforting and intoxicating spicey scent of Remy. 

Rogue gave a small groan as consciousness sunk back in. Apart from feeling very groggy and disorientated, she realised she was fine. She wasn't tied up and no body parts hurt. As her awareness increased, she heard the familiar sound of a certain Cajun singing under his breath, not too far away:

"Who will buy  
This wonderful mornin'?  
Such a sky,  
You ever did see.  
Who will tie,  
It up wit' a ribbon  
And put it in a box for me?"

She allowed her eyes to open a little and raised her head slightly so she could look around. She was obviously in a storage carriage on a train as there were a lot of crates and boxes around. A brown leather trench coat covered her and she recognised it to be Remy's and, letting her eyes wander to her side, she came face to face with his leg. Lifting her gaze through her hair, she saw him sitting on a crate just next to her and in front of him was a larger crate.By the look of concentration on his face, she figured he was playing solitare or some other single player card game. His lips moved very slightly as he continued to sing while picking up cards and placing them down. It wasn't the familiar, playful singing that was intentionaly made to sound silly like that which she usually heard from Head Remy. It was more serious, more natural and it was actually really good. Who'd have thought that Remy was the type to be able to sing well?

"Ya know, ya've got a good voice when you try." Rogue told him, raising her head fully. Her sudden interruption seemed to startle Remy and he stopped his singingabruptly and visibly jumped. Also, for a split second, Rogue could've sworn she saw a blush come to his cheeks. However, he regained his cool composure so quickly that she couldn't be sure that it had even been there.

"So you finally decided to wake up, hmm chere?" He grinned down at her, shuffling around so he could faced her. "Remy was beginnin' to wonder if maybe he used too much knock-out gas."

"Whah did ya use it in the first place! Ya could've just asked me to come with ya." Rogue exclaimed in a somewhat drowsy voice, her head lulling back against the stack of crates she was slumped against.

"Ah, now this is where dhe genius of Remy LeBeau shines t'rough." He replied, his tone proud and bragging. "Remy needs your help, but he didn' wan' to get you into more trouble. So, he fixed it so it appears you been kidnapped. Dhe Wolverine will smell dhe remnants of dhe knock-out gas and he'll figure it was a kidnappin'. You get away so you can help Remy and you won' get in trouble when you go back."

"Couldn't ya have warned me first? Ya gave me a heart attack!" She pouted, trying her best to look cute. She may have been slightly drugged up still but she was aware enough to know that this was a good oppotunity for a bit of flirting.

"Part of dhe plan. Dhe Wolverine will pick up on dhe scent of your fear and more dhen likely confirm his suspicions dhat you were kidnapped." He explained. Rogue stared at him for a moment, surprised at the thoroughness of his plan and actually kind of impressed as well.

"Ya really thought abaht every little detail didn't ya?" She asked him.

"It's dhe little details dhat are usually dhe most importan'. Remy ain' been caugh' yet and he ain' plannin' on breakin' dhat tradition." He told her with a grin, lowering himself down and sitting next to her on the floor. A faint blush tinged Rogue's cheeks as Remy's arm lightly brushed against hers through the barrior of his trench coat. It was then that shesuddenly realised that she was still only wearing a thin straped nightdress. That revolation ruined the enjoyment of her closeness to Remy and brought on fear instead. She flinched away from him, partly through habit, which caused him to stare at her in confusion.

"Ah'm only wearin' mah night dress!" She cried out in horror. "How am Ah gonna be able to walk dahn the street withaht being stared at lahke a loon? And what if Ah bump into someone!"

"Don' worry chere. Remy got it covered." He assured her, swivling the top half of his body around and reaching behind the crate they were leaned against. He bought around her neatly folded coat with a pair of her comfortable shoes resting on top.

"Hah...Hah did ya get these?" Rogue gasped in amazement. "Ah was in mah room all naht!"

"Got dhem while dhe school was sat to dinner." He answered as he handed the pile over.

"So it was you who was watchin' me?" Rogue inquired hopefully, pleased at the confirmation that she wasn't losing her marbles.

"Of course. You don' expect Remy to stop by wit'out seein' his chere, do you?" He murmured gently, leaning closer to her. Rogue's face once again took on a bright blush and she found herself inadvertantly leaning back in an attempt to put some distance between them. Remy either didn't notice that was what she was doing or he chose to ignore it as he merely positioned himself closer to her again. Their faces were millimetres apart and Rogue could feel his warm breath play across her cheeks. She allowed herself to wonder why Remy kept insisting on doing this. He knew about her powers, he knew about the danger. Why did he keep getting so close when there was nothing to protect him? Abandoning her thoughts, she let her nerves and reluctance finally got the better of her and she intentionally broke the mood.

"Ya picked up some socks for me. Hah thoughtful." She smiled up at him, forcing herself up to sit straighter and then beginning to put on the footwear. Remy moved away slightly and grinned in amusement at her shyness, deciding to let it go for now. He knew there was no rush.

A comfortable silence took over as Rogue got herself organised and Remy gave himself time to think. The silence continued even after Rogue had finished and settled down as Remy stared down at the wooden flooring beneath his legs and switched to gathering his courage in order to ask her about something he had heard while watching her at dinner the night before.

"So, erm...Last nigh'...Remy heard you talkin' wit' your friends." He told her suddenly, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. His tone intrigued Rogue and she watched him curiously as he continued. "Heard 'bout dhat date dhe petite in dhe yellow jacket got you"

"Oh, that." Rogue sighed with a small laugh of relief, thinking before that he was going to say something serious. "What abaht it?"

"Remy was jus' wonderin' if you were actually gon' go..." He told her, the sentence trailing off. Rogue studied him carefully. He hadn't looked at her yet which was odd. He'd just kept his eyes fixed to the floor. His tone sounded forced like it was a conscious effort to speak that way. Also, he trailed off on a sentence. Taking all these into consideration and with a little help from Head Remy's empathy, she discovered something surprising, delightful and maybe even a little amusing. He was jealous. Remy LeBeau, official charmer of every woman and girl in the world, was jealous at the mere prospect of her going out on one date with another guy!

"Remy, what should Ah do?" Rogue asked Head Remy silently, un-sure of how to react to the situation.

"Tease him, bu' be obvious 'bout it." Head Remy advised her quickly. Rogue wondered why he had specified for her to be obvious because wouldn't that surely take away the point? She shrugged it off though, figuring that if anyone knew a way to woo Remy, it would be himself.

"Ah dunno yet. Ah maht go." She told him in an overly casual tone. "Whah do ya ask?"

"No reason." Remy answered a little too quickly.

"Are ya jealous?" Rogue grinned.

"You kiddin' righ'?" Remy began to protest. "Why'd Remy be jealous of some puny..."

"Becasue if ya were jealous," Rogue interrupted him suddenly. "Ah think that would be kinda cool...Even though ya ain't got anything to be jealous off."

Remy's head shot up and he looked to see Rogue's head down and her eyes on the floor beneath. A faint pinkness tinged her cheeks prettily and a small, shy smile played across her lips. All that was needed was the early morning sunlight to come in through the open door of the carriage at the side and it'd be a scene from some cliché romantic movie. Never the less, it had an effect on him andRemy felt an unfamiliar swell in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was brought on by how beautiful she looked at that moment or because of what she said but it was definately felt.

"Not'in' at all?" He checked in a soft voice as he leaned forward and gently took Rogue's chin between his gloved finger and thumb then lifting her head so she had to look at him.

"Not one little thing." She confirmed just as softly and surprising herself as she realised she didn't feel anxious nor had the desire to pull away.

Their eyes stayed locked together for a while, smiles fixed on both their faces. At some point during the time, Remy's fingers left Rogue's chin and instead his hand moved around to cup her cheek in his palm. Eventually, after several minutes of silent staring, Remy broke the stillness by adjusting his position so his body wasn't facing Rogue's. He never broke their stare as he did this though and when he was in the desired position, he lifted his right arm so that Rogue could cuddle up to him if she wanted. And she definately wanted to. In an instant she was snuggled up to him, her head resting on his shoulder, her hair protecting his neck. Remy lowered his arm, encircling Rogue's shoulders, and he rested his cheek on top of her head. Together, they stayed like that for the rest of the journey.

* * *

When everyone in the school woke up the next morning, everything seemed normal. Normal scramble to get up when they realised they'd slept in late, normal queues for the bathrooms, normal chore of picking out an outfit for the day, normal heading down to breakfast. It wasn't until everyone was sat down to breakfast that the first signs of difference began to appear.

Rogue wasn't at the table for breakfast and, when sent to check, Kitty and Jubilee found that she wasn't in her bedroom. Upon Kitty's suggestion, the rooms and corridors directly underneath Rogue's room were checked in case she was still phasing uncontrollably. Of course, she wasn't found. No-sleep boy told them that he had heard her coming down the stairs and had spoken to her the previous night but had to admit that he never heard her go back up again. That alone was enough to get the adults worried. 

Classes were run as normal rather than everyone being sent out to search for Rogue so the search party was limited to Logan, Hank and the Professor. Logan had gone out in search the moment he was sure Rogue definately wasn't in the school while Hank set up the med-lab just in case and the Professor headed down to Cerebro. It wasn't until Logan arrived back at mid-day that the first clue as to Rogue's disappearance was found.

Having had no luck himself, Logan went back to the school to see if Rogue had come back on her own or had been found. When he found no one in the sitting room, he headed down the corridor to the kitchen and when he passed the storage cuboard under the stairs, he stopped dead. Sniffing the air, he caught hold of several scents; Rogue, fear, some kind of chemical and the scent of the intruder who had broken in a few days ago. Logan's eyes darkened and a low growl escaped his throat as his claws sprung free. The scent he could smell right at that moment would soon be the scent of a dead man.

* * *

Oooooo, the excitement and anticipation! What's gonna happen? You'll just have to wait and find out :D  
I apologise for the fact that this is kind of a short chapter. It worked out like that because the next two chapters or so will probably be quite long ones so those will make up for the fact this one's kinda short. Anyway, despite it's length, I hope you all enjoyed it.  
Catch ya'll next time :) 

Hugs  
Dream


	13. Chapter 13

Hi everyone :)

(Sings to tune of "Going to the Zoo") You sent me your reviews-views-views. Lots of reviews-views-views. I've answered the reviews-views-views. You sent me your reviews:

Halo's horns: Yay, new person! Glad to hear you're liking everything. Hope you like this chapter as well :)

Shaishe: Good to hear you're enjoying it. Hope the update came quick enough for ya :)

jade: Glad you're liking it so much. Hope the update came soon enough :)

silverbells: I'm gonna go with that he just didn't go down that particular corridor that morning. Yeah...Yeah, that makes sense :D

IvyZoe: Nice to hear you appreciate the ROMYness. As for how Remy heard Rogue, he's Remy! He can be anywhere, do anything, spy on anyone and no one would know. For all any of us know, maybe he was right next to her...O.o

adrenaline addict: More Remy is on it's way along with more fluffy ROMY moments that make ya want to hug yourself in delight and sequeal "CUUUUUUUUTE!" at the top of your voice.

ishandahalf: I'm not sure what's gonna happen in relation to Remy and Logan meeting. I've got a few possible scenarios in mind and I'm not sure which one to use. So, we'll all just have to see how that turns out :D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Wow, little excited there lol. I don't mind though. Glad you're getting excited. I updated asap just for you :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it and here's the update :)

Freak87: The shopping bag saga will be mentioned in this very chapter. Will it end though? I highly doubt it :D I don't think Remy thought it out properly either. Eh, maybe he's got a special plan to deal with said homicidal Canadian mutant with very sharp adamantium claws. I don't know, he won't tell me O.o

texasgrrl: That exactly what I thought! I mean, Remy is only human, (though an extremely hot human). It's totally unrealistic for him to never feel unsure or nervous.

Friend to All: Nervous Remy + jealous Remy extra cute Remy :D

chicita: I like this chapter as well. Gotta love a blushing Remy :D Hope the update came quicky enough for ya.

4Rogue: I agree with you. People often play up Wolverine scaryness and it can get soooooo annoying. Glad you're loving it all as well :)

smiteme: They are cute aren't they:)

CalliopeMused: Glad to hear you're liking the suspense. I know what you mean about shoving them together and being done with it lol.

As always, thank you all for your reviews and words of encouragement. Keeps the writers block at bay.  
I just want to apologise for the tardiness of this chapter. I've had a lot to do lately. Had a media project to do and that ate up a lot of my free time with filming and staying after school to edit and junk like that. Anyways, very, very sorry (bows)  
Okay, just to let you all know, I'm going to be splitting my time at the moment into writing the next chapter and correcting previous chapters. I was re-reading the whole story and there are some really major typos that I wanna correct so if the next update is a little sluggish, that's the reason why.

Anyways, enough from me. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter:

* * *

Rogue and Remy walked down a crowded street in the French Quarter of Louisiana as dusk began to set in around them. They had arrived hours ago and it was only then that Remy decided he wanted to wait until it got completely dark. Rogue hadn't been too happy with that decision but did go along with it, only after she had yelled at him for a while though. The afternoon had been spent doing a combination of walking, sitting, drinking coffee and eating cakes and/or pastries. Rogue had actually really enjoyed herself, despite not only the fact she was only wearing a night dress under her coat but also was probably causing a lot of worry back at the school. She even forgot about the school at one point. She had been so relaxed and at peace. Now that the sun was setting though, Rogue was starting to get very anxious about everything.

"Hah much longer?" She asked Remy quietly as they continued on down the street.

"'Bout anot'er hour or so. Bes' to wai' 'til it's completely dark." He answered, repeating his earlier words. Rogue nodded mutely and involuntry shivered from the cold. "Feelin' dhe chill chere?" He inquired gently seeing the small muscle spasm.

"Well Ah am only wearin' a naht dress." She reminded him with a playful grin.

"And dhat's somehow Remy's fault?" He questioned, picking up on the fact Rogue's tone had implied it was his fault.

"Well, if ya could go to the trouble of fahndin' mah comfortable shoes and remembering to grab me some socks, Ah don't see whah ya couldn't have grabbed me some proper clothes." She replied indignantly though her whole manner was still playful.

"Remy got you some gloves dhough." He pointed out to her.

"No ya didn't! The gloves were in mah coat pocket! Besahdes, Ah mean real clothes. Pants, a sweat shirt, even just a t-shirt would've been useful." She told him.

"Remy guess it is his fault dhen." He sighed, feigning disappointment. "He insist you le' him make it up to you." He continued on, a grin forming on his face.

"And just hah are ya plannin' on making it up to me Swamp Rat?" She inquired suspiciously. Remy's grin widened and he leaned down closer to her and whispered in her ear softly.

"Well, Remy could star' by helpin' you warm up cherie." With that, he straightened up and drapped his arm around her shoulders.

Straight away, Rogue's breath caught in her throat which caused a small squeak of surprise to escape. She really hadn't expected him to do that, or even anything like that. She thought they had just been playing a game which would ultimately result in them bursting into fits of laughter. Instead, he had his arm around her and was close. Really close. She suddenly felt really self-conscious, like Remy having his arm around her was some major social taboo. After all, she was Rogue, the un-touchable mutant. Too afraid to let anyone even get near her in case she hurt them...Yet there she was. With Remy. Not scared, just feeling the same anxiousness as any teenage girl would if under the arm of the guy she fancied. She had no real need to be so cautious. She could let herself go...That in mind, Rogue allowed herself to lean into Remy. She even felt daring enough to bring her arm up to encircle his waist.

"Better?" Remy murmured to her softly, feeling her arm come around him.

"Much." Rogue murmured back, her eyes drifting shut in contentment. She didn't need to look where she was going. She knew Remy wouldn't let anything happen to her.

* * *

Logan stood outside of Cerebro with an ere of impatience about him. He was leaned up against the right wall with his arms folded over his chest. If in close proximity to him, you'd be able to make out a constant growl being emitted from him. In the mood he was in though, getting that close probably wasn't the smartest of ideas. It had been several minutes since he had taken up said position outside Cerebro and it was another several minutes before the doors opened. Logan was instantly up straight and heading towards the entrance. The Professor came out and met him half way.

"Well?" Logan demanded through a growl.

"I'm afriand I had no luck." The Professor sighed disappointedly.

"I managed to track the scent to the railways. They must'a stowed away on a cargo train." Logan told him, sounding understandably unsatisfied. "From the direction the scent disappeared in I'd guess they were heading south."

"Hmm...Good work Logan. However, although that information is useful, we still don't know for sure if Rogue is being taken south. I have an idea I'd like to try with Cerebro which will hopefully give us more information." The Professor mused.

"What kinda idea?" Logan inquired.

"As I am unable to trace Rogue's mind I'm going to try and trace her mutant ability." The other mutant explained.

"You sure that's gonna be possible?" Logan asked sceptically.

"It should be, though I'll only be able to do it if she actually uses her power so it may take some time before it gives us any results. That in mind, it may be wise for you and some of the others to go and search for her in the jet." The Professor suggested.

"Anyone in particular?" Logan grunted.

"Take Scott, Kurt and Ororo." The Professor answered after a moment of contemplation. "They all have free afternoons. We need to cause as little disruption with classes as possible."

"Fine." Logan muttered. Although he wasn't happy with having to take Scott, he was too distracted to protest or argue. Without further discussion, Logan turned and left. The Professor watched him leave before turning and heading back into Cerebro.

* * *

Rogue sat alone in a quiet corner of a small cafe, slowly sipping a lukewarm cup of coffee. She'd lost count of the number of cups of coffee she'd had drunk throughout the day. Although the caffeine was helping her to keep slightly more alert, she was starting to feel the fatigue from her recent lack of sleep and an afternoon of almost constant walking set in.

Upon Rogue's insistence, she and Remy had come to rest at the fifth cafe of the day. She'd only ordered another coffee to warm her hands up with. She may haven been wearing gloves but her fingers felt like icicles. It was only through boredom that she had started to drink it. Remy had been over at the counter flirting with a waitress for several minutes now. Rogue wasn't too bothered by it. She knew it was more about him showing off and proving to himself and others that he was still desirable more than anything else. Plus, it gave her a chance to talk with Head Remy. Head Remy may have been from the original Remy but he was completely different. Rogue guessed it was because of the three and a half months he'd spent in her head. She couldn't believe that you could spend that amount of time in someone else's head and not change.

"All righ', here's one. A remedy for your mutation is created and you're offered a life time supply of it, free o' charge. However, it has several side effects including constan' itchin', swellin' of your right han' and the cravin' o' a mixture of ice-cream an' gumbo. Remy's question is simply dhis, do you accep' dhe offer?" Head Remy questioned as Rogue took another small sip of coffee.

"Hmm..." She hummed silently in contemplation. "Hah would this remedy be given?

"Daily injection."

"Ah see...And the swelling would only be in mah raht hand?"

"Oui."

"But Ah would be able to touch whoever Ah want whenever Ah want?"

"Dhat's dhe deal."

"Ah dunno...The itching maht get really annoying after a whahle and Ah don't lahke the idea of eating ice-cream and gumbo together..."

Rogue cut off mid-sentence when she noticed that there were two men watching her from a table on the other side of them cafe. She remained natural and casual on the outside even though her heartbeat increased dramatically. She discreetly studied the rest of the cafe and spotted a group of suspicious characters by the entrance. Both sets of men looked awfully familiar to her and it took her a while to place them.

"They're all part of the Rippers aren't they?" Rogue checked with Head Remy, it being Juli's memories prompting her recognition of the faces.

"Oui. Remy recognise most of dhem." The mind inside her head confirmed grimly.

"Do ya think they know we're here? Do ya think that's whah they're here?" She asked, trying so hard to stop herself from panicking.

"More dhen likely. Dhis be dheir part o' town. Ain' not'in' dhat goes on here dhat dhey don' know 'bout." Head Remy told her, his tone distasteful.

"Remy ain't noticed them." Rogue pointed out, allowing her discreet watch to shift in his direction where he was still flirting outrageously with the waitress. "Should Ah go tell him?" She asked retorically, starting to rise from her seat before he even began to reply.

"No! Don' draw attention to yourself!" Head Remy cried heatedly, causing Rogue to immediately sit back down again. He seemed to quickly pick up on his un-needed out-burst and stayed silent for a short while to compose himself. When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer and more controlled. "Dhey probably don' know you're connected wit' him. If anyt'in' happens, you need to stay outta dhe way chere. You in no condition to fight for any ot'er reason dhan neccessity."

"But what abaht Remy?" Rogue questioned urgently, daring to throw another discreet glance at her friend.

"Remy be a big boy. He can look after himself." Head Remy insisted.

Rogue bit her lip lightly. Head Remy was right, she knew that, but that didn't mean she had to like it. And she didn't. She hated it, but what could she do? Unfortunately, she didn't have to worry about for too long, for no sooner as she asked herself the question then she was approached by one of said suspicious characters. She pretended to remain oblivious as the man approached her and took another sip of her coffee.

"Hey dhere beautiful. How you doin'?" The man asked her once he'd reached her side.

"Ah was doing pretty good 'til you came ova and said that." Rogue answered cooly, not even bothering to look up at the man. She heard some snickering in the background and couldn't stop the smirk that spread across her lips. She dipped her head a little in an attempt to block her mocking expression from the man's view by her hair. She didn't do it quickly enough though and the man caught sight of it. He frowned deeply and leant down so his mouth was right next to her ear.

"You t'ink you're pretty smart don' you?" The man hissed angrily.

"Not particularly, Ah think it's just the fact ya really thick." Rogue grunted back, placing her cup on the table. She looked at the man from the corner of her eyes. "Now, do ya mahnd backin' off?" She muttered, jabbing him in the ribs accidently-on-purpose. She knew it probably wasn't the smartest thing for her to do but this guy was seriously starting to tick her off. The man reacted in typical thug fashion; violence and intimidation. He grabbed hold of her arm and discreetly twisted it enough to make her feel discomfort but no real pain.

"You'd be wise to keep your mout' shut." The man advised her with a smirk as Rogue finally fullylooked up at him. "Haven' you ever heard dhe expression "women should be seen and no' heard"?"

"Haven't you ever heard the expression get the Hell away from me?" She spat back, yanking her arm away sharply. The man's eyes flared angrily, but before he could act upon that anger, he was sent flying back after recieving a fist to the face which sounded a satisfying crack. Rogue looked up to see a furious Remy now next to her. A dark glare was fixed on his face and his eyes seemed to glow with anger. He looked really intimidating and she found herself feelingincredibly glad that she'd never have to be on his seriously bad side.

Time seemed to speed up for Rogue then and the next thing she knew, all Hell had broken loose. The other suspicious men who were all assassins were suddenly all around her and Remy. Screams from innocent by-standers filled the cafe and most people began to scramble to get out as a small metal table was thrown in Rogue and Remy's direction. Rogue raised her hand and used her borrowed magnatism to stop the table in mid-air as Remy charged a near-by chair and chucked it into a group of assassins. The cafe became total chaos and soon the air was filled with yells and flying chairs, tables, cups, plates, cards and anything else you could pick up and throw.

The fight gradually edged itself outside onto the street and Rogue found that she was now able to back out a little since there was more space. She felt drained and slightly whoozey and knew that staying out of the way was the best thing for her to do. However, it wasn't long before she saw Remy being pinned up against a wall and, acting before thinking, Rogue teleported over and took a glove off before grabbing hold of Remy's attacker's bare arm.

Rogue had been sure to fully prepare herself for the on-slaught of alien memories and thoughts that would enter her head so the absorbtion didn't effect her too badly. She winced a little as the pull began but it was more out of discomfort than pain. She held on to the assassin just long enough to weaken him sufficiantly for Remy to break free. After that, Rogue retreated back again, creeping around the side of an alleyway so she was easily ignorable. A dull throb quickly began to ache in her head but it was nothing heavy and served only as a mild irritation.

Rogue watched Remy in awe while she pulled her glove back on. He was really going at it and giving as good as he got. He was giving better actually. Out-numbered by at least ten to one yet he was still winning. Despite the situation, Rogue found herself ogling Remy while he fought. He looked amazing. His swift movements flowed together gracefully. Punches moved into kicks which became flips which led to throws. His enchanting, demonic eyes were hard and unforgiving and almost seemed to glow, only adding to his intimidating ere.

There was a small lull in the assassin's attacks which gave Remy an oppotunity to check on Rogue. He quickly spotted her in her hiding place and decided it was probably wiser to move on now. Most of the assassins were now laying sprawled out on the ground, giving small groans of pain every so often. He and Rogue would have no problem in getting away without being pursued. Remy sprinted over to a nearby parking meter and placed his hand on it, filling it with kinetic energy. The metal began to heat and shake quite violently and when Remy let go, it instantly exploded, shooting coins in all directions.

Rogue allowed herself to laugh as the assassins shrunk back from the bullet-fast coins, covering their heads with their hands and moving away. After the majority of the assassins were gone, she re-directed her attention to Remy who was running over to her.

"Time to go." He told her, taking her hand and basically yanking her out of the alleyway. Rogue stumbled a little at first but quickly found her stride and they fled the fight scene.

* * *

"The Professor's found Rogue. It seems she's been using her powers."

"Well that ain't a good sign."

"Where is she then?"

"Down there, in the heart of the French Quarter."

"It's so crowded zhough! Ve'll never find her!"

* * *

They had only been running for a minute or so when Remy stopped them and pulled Rogue into an alleyway. However, despite the short length of time they'd been running, Rogue's legs felt a little wobbly and she was panting heavily to catch her breath. She slouched against one of the alley walls while Remy looked to see if they had been followed. Once he was satisfied they were safe, he turned to Rogue only to find her head hanging down, rubbing her temples with her finger tips, with her eyes screwed shut tightly as she continued with her laboured breathing.

"Yo' kay chere?" Remy asked her, quickly moving over to her.

"Yeah, fahne. Just got a little headache is all. It's nothing major." She insisted, her breathing finally returning to normal. She lifted her head and opened her eyes and found that Remy was now right in front of her and she was staring right into his chest. His scent totally filled her senses and she struggled to stop herself from melting into him. She tilted her head back so she could look at his face.

"Yo' sure cherie?" He murmured softly, leaning closer to her.

"Yeah." Rogue managed to squeak out as she tried to distance herself by taking a step back but the wall, strangely enough, got in her way. She stared into Remy's eyes and she saw the dramtic contrast in how they had looked before; hard eyes which glowed with anger and hatredwere now soft and shone with care and concern for her.

"Good." He whispered, moving in closer to kiss her. Rogue raised her right arm and gently placed her gloved fingers on Remy's lips, preventing him from moving any closer and also silencing any possible protest.

"Do ya still have mah shoppin' bags?" She inquired in a hushed voice as she let her hand slip away from his mouth.

"Oui." He answered in the same hushed voice though his tone was confused.

"Ah think this should be continued when Ah've got mah scarf then. Since ya ain't gonna take no for an answer, at least wait 'til we can make it safe." She told him, a shy smile appearing on her face. Remy stared at her in surprise for a moment before also smiling. "That okay?"

"Dhat's okay." He confirmed happily, tilting his neck down and resting his forehead on hers, making sure his skin was protected by her hair.

Both their smiles widened and Rogue gave a small laugh. She slid her arms around Remy's waist and rested her head on his chest. Remy gazed down at her lovingly and kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek on the spot he had kissed. They stayed like that for quite some time.

* * *

Hey, an ending that doesn't resemble a cliffhanger in any shape or form for once. Isn't that a nice rest from all the excitement? Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and appreciated the huge dose of ROMY goodness at the end there. Once again, I apologise for it's slight lateness.  
That's all from me. Catch ya'll later :)

Hugs  
Dream


	14. Chapter 14

Hi everyone :)

I'm running out of interesting things to say for introducing the review replies O.o:

adrenaline addict: Yes, fluff, butt-kicking Remy. Not much else could've been fit into that chapter :)

Bubbles1612: 12- Yes, Remy was the culprit. No real surprise there though.  
13- Yes, being hunted down by the X-Men. Not the greatest of past times :D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Very pleased to hear you approved of last chapter so much. This update was bumped up to ASAP status just for you since you asked so nicely :)

ishandahalf: Remy fighting is too gorgeous a sight not to ogle :D There's a bit more ROMYness here but nothing major. Wait for chapter 16. You'll overload from ROMY goodness.

texasgrrl: I'm quite fond of the ending of last chapter as well. Very warm and fuzzy :)

Elle: Is thick a UK expression? Never knew that lol. Anyways, yes, I'm a UK girl. England to be more precise. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story so much.

abril4: I can assure you there will be no more flirting from Remy with anyone else but Rogue. Last chapter was sort of their non-verbal agreement to me exclusive but that'll be more obvious over the next few chapters.

Friend to All: So many compliments there :) Thank you for your lovely review and I hope this chapter impresses you just as much :)

Shaishe: That's what I like to hear. Enthusiasm :D

chicita: Oooooo, I get a cookie :) I'm the same, I'm not sure if I prefer Head Remy or Real Remy. Probably feel like that because they're kinda different from one another aren't they?

jade: Good to hear you approve of the cuteness and sassing. Hope the update came soon enough.

Rogue gaL: The story ending there? Now, I know I'm evil ,but I'm not that evil :)

Silent Doom: I wonder where you had got to lol. Thought maybe you'd got bored with the story lol. Anyways, thank you about the condolences about Fuu :) I'm the same with friends hooking other friends up. However, Jubilee's just always struck me as the kind who would do that kinda thing. I'll stop taking up your time now so you can read the chapter. Enjoy :)

Freak87: That line was meant to be Logan but you're probably right about it not fitting too well. I might go back and change that line. This chapter is going to be a lot more like Cajun Spice but it won't be exactly the same. It'll be basically the same main events but with different filler bits and some of the dialouge I've borrowed as well. Confused? That wasn't too good of an explanation. Just read the chapter and then you'll get what I mean lol.

janey: I didn't think that was too bad a cliffy but I guess it was...Hehe :D

Thank you all for your reviews. As always, much appreciated :)  
Again, apologies for the tardiness of the update. However, my media project is now officially complete and I also have 2 weeks off now for Easter. So, the next update should come more swiftly.  
Okay, this is the final chapter of my Cajun Spice re-write for those of you who are curious about that sorta thing. Also, I was actually bothered to write out a plan of the chapters and their contents the other day and I figured out that there will probably be another 15 chapters left, give or take a chapter or two. So you'll all be stuck with me for quite some time yet :D  
Just to warn you all, there's some naughty language ahead.

* * *

"Vhat do you zhink happened here?" 

"I don't know..."

"It was whoever took Rogue. The whole area stinks of him."

"Do you think maybe Rogue tried to escape and this was how he reacted?"

"Don't think so. Can't smell any of Rogue's blood or fear."

"Well, we know they were here but how do we find out where they are now?"

"We track them. C'mon."

* * *

Rogue would be lying if she she said she wasn't grossed out at that moment. She and Remy were slowly coasting along in an old motorboat, which Remy had 'borrowed' from somewhere, through a smelly, slimey swamp. There were bugs hovering around everywhere and there were also more than a few alligators swimming around which didn't help improve the situation. However, always the good samaritan, especially where Remy was concerned, Rogue sat dutifully at the front of the small wooden boat with her coat pulled over her head, to stop the bugs from getting in her hair she insisted. With both Juli and some assassin called Pierre in her head, she knew where she was going by heart and also knew where all the water-mines were. 

"Turn left here." Rogue instructed Remy quietly. Remy did as he was told and steered the boat carefully around an unknown mine beneath the surface of the water.

"No way Jean-Luc wort' dhis much trouble." He muttered as he peered over the side of the boat and caught a quick glanceof a mine.

"Ya really do hate ya father don't ya?" Rogue asked sadly, looking at him over her shoulder.

"He ain't Remy's fadher. Jus' 'cause someone adpo's yo', don' make dhem yo' family." Remy told her, a hint of bitter resentment in his voice.

"If ya really hate ya father so much, then whah are ya helpin' him?" She inquired reasonably. No reply came immediately as Remy simply stared at the ripling water over the side. Eventually, he replied:

"'Cause Remy a better person dhen Jean-Luc."

It was a somewhat confusing answer to say the least but Rogue decided it would be best to let the conversation go at that. She knew what it was like to have someone pry into the secrets of your life, be them past or present. She knew how annoying it was and she sympathised. If Remy didn't want to talk about it, that was fine. She'd respect his privacy. A heavy silence took them over and Rogue wasn't sure what to make of it. The conversation hadn't ended badly yet the silence was unsettled, as though they had argued and there was some snappy retort that had been left un-said. Just as Rogue was considering trying to start up a conversation, an image flashed in her head. She saw the out-look from a balcony at the Ripper's mansion. The view was of a horribly familiar area of swamp; the area that she and Remy were moving through at that very moment. From Juli's memories, she knew that balcony was always manned and those who manned it were armed with...

Rogue's head whirled to look in the direction of the mansion which was about a hundred feet away from them. She couldn't see any detail and she couldn't hear anything but bugs and water and other usual swamp sounds. Still, she knew what was coming and she knew it was coming now. Reacting almost immeditately, Rogue got into a crouching position and all but pounced on Remy. He barely had time to let out his strangled cry before he and Rogue toppled out of the boat and were submerged under the water. Seconds later, they were swept back in the water and heard a loud, though slightly muffled, explosion and saw the light of the yellow-orange flame as whatever had been coming collided with a tree.

Still under the murky water, Remy looked around himself in search of Rogue. He spotted her several feet off trying to shrug off her heavy coat which appeared to be weighing her down too much. Curiously, he found that his own coat was causing him no problems at all. He hurridly swam over to Rogue and helped her to shed her coat. They then swam up to the surface, each letting out huge gasps of air once their heads were above the water level. They trod water for a while as they replenished the air in their lungs and the energy in their muscles. After a few minutes, they headed in the direction of the mansion which was thankfully not too far away now since they had been carried a fair distance by the water. Upon reaching the land, Remy hauled himself out of the swampy water before helping Rogue out. He then quickly led/dragged her over to a natural, grassy ditch in which they could hide from sight in.

"That was mah favourite coat." Rogue muttered grumpily once she had settled into a comfortable position.

"Better dhe coat dhen yo' chere." Remy mumbled as he took hold of the tail-end of his trenchcoat and rung it out in an vain attemt to dry out the lining.

"It's still a waste." She insisted, copying Remy's actions with her hair. Remy obviously saw no need to reply to her final comment as all he did was get to his knees and carefully peer over the top of the ditch.

"Okay. Here's dhe plan:" Remy began to say in a hushed voice. "Dhere are 'bout twen'y men surroundin' dhe perimeter, ten o' which are guardin' dhe fron' entrance. If we run as fas' as possible at a t'irty eigh' degree angle, we can make it to dhat blind spo' before..."

Rogue stared at him in bewilderment as he continued to ramble on. He may as well have just been speaking French for all the sense she could make of his speedy and exact calculations. She knew that in the end, all he wanted was to get them inside the mansion so she took hold of his arm and, before he had a chance to question her, teleported them inside of the building. She misjudged their re-entery though. Instead of appearing somewhere nearby where Remy's father was, which would've been the most conviniant thing to do, they popped back into reality inside what appeared to be the cellar. Still, they were inside now and that's all that really mattered. Remy seemed completely confused by their new surroundings for a moment and gaped around at their new, dimly lit surroundings.

"Oh right..." He mused after a while. "Hey, why didn' yo' jus' teleport us ou' o' dhe boat instead of jumpin' into dhe water?" He inquired suddenly. Rogue stared, un-blinking, at him for a few seconds before frowning in annoyance.

"Damn it!" She groaned angrily. Remy grinned at her and looked around their surroundings again. It was a large, cold area with a dusty concrete floor and hard cinder-block walls. An old staircase was over in the right hand corner of the room and led up to a door which was probably the way into the rest of the building. Piles of boxes took up most of the room though what exactly was in the boxes was unclear as the only light they had was the weak glow of a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Remy headed over to one group of boxes and looked inside. He pulled out a bottle of something and held it up to the light.

"1917." He read, his tone impressed. "Well, dhey might be scum but dhey go' good taste." He replaced the bottle and looked over at Rogue. "Did yo' mean for us to be in dhe cellar?"

"Just be thankful we didn't end up inshade a wall." She replied as she began to walk over to the crude wooden stairs.

"Could dhat really happen?"

"Kurt's always insisted that it can and Ah ain't gonna trah and test it aht." She told him while climbing up the stairs. Upon reaching the top, she cracked the door open and peered out into the corridor behind. She squinted her eyes shut as they sudden change of light stung her eyes.She slowly inched them open letting her eyes grow accustomed to the new light gradually. Eventually, the light no long hurt and she was able to scan the outside comfortably. There was no one out there. She suddenly felt Remy's presence behind her and felt his warm breath on her neck as he leaned down to also look at what was on the other side of the door. "S'all clear. Let's go." She ordered quietly before carefully slipping out of the half opened door. Remy obidiantly followed closely behind.

"Wha' floor is he on?" Remy whispered as they crept through their third silent, empty corridor.

"Third."

"Yo' know what room?"

"Kinda. Ah know hah to get there at least. We need to fahnd the front entrance."

"Conviniant. It's right dhere." He said as they rounded a corner and saw the front doors a few feet in front of them. Two men stood either side of the doors, armed with guns, though obviously not paying any attention to their surroundings. Rogue and Remy quickly slunk back around the corner and out of sight. Rogue edged nearer to the corner again so she could look around it but still stay hidden.

Her original plan to simply follow the path she had seen when she'd absorbed Juli was more of less ruined now. They wouldn't be able to make it to the stairs, let alone go up them, without the two assassins at the entrance seeing them. Also, if there were men guarding the doors then they must have known that she and Remy were somewhere around and logic told her that there were probably many more men dotted around building. Rogue knew how Juli thought and knew that this was going to be hard to do without making a huge fuss. Teleporting them to a random corridor, or even a carefully selected corridor, just wasn't a good idea in this situation. Yet what else could they do? She really didn't want to absorb any more minds unless it was absolutely necessary. So that really only left the teleporting and hoping for the best option.

"Hah ya feel abaht takin' a stupid risk?" Rogue asked Remy, moving away from the corner again.

"Remy intrigued. Wha' would dhis stupid risk involve?"

"Teleporting to a randomly chosen corridor and quite possibly running into several assassins."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Does nothing un-nerve ya?"

"Course, plenty of t'ings. Remy's grandma, Remy's older sister, Remy's younger sister, Remy's aunt Venessa..."

"Basically just every female in your family then."

"Oui. Oh, and Belle."

Rogue frowned lightly when she realised she recognised that name. Joe had mentioned a Belle before. Didn't he say that Remy used to date her? Curiosity began to niggle away at Rogue's mind and she badly wated to know more but knew this wasn't the time. She'd get him to explain later. So, wordlessly, she took Remy's arm and they vanished again.

They seemed to be between dimensions for much longer than normal and Rogue's stomach felt fluttery, making her feel queasy. She started to wish that they would re-appear soon and the slow torture of nervous butterflies would end. However, when they did, she instantly wished they hadn't. The room theyre-appeared in was the kitchen, where nine assassins just happened to be taking a break at that moment. They all turned to face Rogue and Remy, the bamphf of their entery catching their attention. The few seconds of silence in which they all spent just staring at each other seemed to stretch on forever and was only broken by Rogue's simplistic statement:

"Shit."

That appeared to be everyone's cue to start moving. The assassins all leapt to their feet as Remy grabbed a soda off of the counter beside him. He shook it up quickly while charging it up at the same time. When a couple of assassins were in punching distance of them, Remy pulled the ring on the top of the can and pointed it away from him and Rogue and towards the advancing assassins. The carbonated liquid inside sprayed out straight into the assassins and they let out cries of pain as the nowboiling fizzy drink burnt their skin. Once the eruption of liquid stopped, Remy chucked the can at the assassins, grabbed Rogue's hand and prepared to run away.

However, the yells of the men had attracted the attention of several others and Rogue and Remy's escape route was barred by half a dozen armed assassins. Remy went for his cards and the six assassins raised their guns. The kitchen filled with the clicks of loading guns asRogue threw her arms around Remy and screwed her eyes shut in concentration. Six bangs rang out together just as Rogue and Remy began to sink through the floor. Sinking through the floor soon became falling through the ceiling as they passed into the room beneath the kitchen. They hit the floor of the new room hard on their sides and they both gave pained moans.

"Remy?" A surprised voice came from behind Remy and Rogue. They both turned their heads to see Remy's father, still tied to a chair. "Yo' actually came back!"

"I'm jus' here for you." Remy informed neutrally as he got to his feet and headed over to the older man. Jean-Luc's eyes fell onto Rogue who had picked herself up and was busy brushing herself off. A knowing grin spread across his face for a second and Rogue carefully raised her eyes to meet his.

"So you can fall through solid floorboards huh? Yo' ever t'ought of a life of...Hey! Watch it!" Jean-Luc yelled at Remy when he 'accidently' over the charged the ropes that bound his wrists and burnt his skin.

"Time to go." Remy instructed in a monotone as he left the now free Jean-Luc and headed to the door.

"Wai'! Don' yo' know where we are? We're in dhe middle of dhe Ripper's headquarters!" Jean-Luc exclaimed.

"So?" Remy sighed, stopping and looking over his shoulder.

"So! Dhis is our big chance! We can ruin dhem from dhe inside!"

"Yo' don' need me for dhat." Remy muttered, looking away again.

"No, but I do need your powers." Jean-Luc replied with a smirk as he laid his hand on Remy's shoulder. Before Remy could give any reply though, the door to the room unlocked and swung open to reveal Juli and Juli's father, each armed with pistols.

"Yo' toget'er. Good. Yo' jus' made my job a whole lo' easier." Juli sneered as he raised his gun to Remy and Jean-Luc, obviously not seeing Rogue who was further over to the side. Rogue used this to her advantage and raised her right hand. She then used her borrowed magnetism to pull the guns away from Juli and Juli's father's hands. The guns flew over to her and she caught them gently, one in each hand. She gave Juli a sneer of her own before moving closer to the wall and phasing her hands and the guns through the wall. When she pulled her hands out again, she no longer held the guns. Juli and his father stared at her in astonishment and Remy used their distraction against them and rushed forward. The two men didn't even have enough time to notice Remy before he knocked them both out with one punch.

"Yo' can do that as well! Yo' know, yo' really should consider..." Jean-Luc began to say.

"Don' even t'ink it." Remy grunted, wrapping a possessive arm around Rogue and ushering her out of the room quickly. Jean-Luc merely smirked again and followed as they all began to run down various corridors.

"How are we gon' find our way ou' o' here?" Jean-Luc asked as they began to turn a corner. The sounds of rapid gun fire in front made them all skid to a stop before they turned and dashed back around the corner. They all got to their knees or crouched just in case. Rogue glanced around herself nervously as the firing stopped. She watched nervously as Remy poked his head around the corner and immediately moved away when the guns started up again. She shuffled closer to Remy and Jean-Luc and linked her arms with them both.

"Get ready to faht if we have to." Rogue advised them before teleporting them all away. When they re-appeared again, they were all ready and willing to fight. Their enthusiasm was lost though as the main entrance, where they now were, was void of assassins. The three of them were the only ones in the room and there were no sounds, like footsteps or talking, to suggest there was anyone else near-by.

"Finally. Some good luck." Rogue sighed as they headed towards the doors. Suddenly though, the doors blew open with a violent wind to reveal a white eyed Storm and an angry looking Nightcrawler.

"Yo' were sayin'?" Remy whispered as they all froze. For a long moment, no one moved or spoke. Then, Remy suddenly grabbed Rogue around the waist and held her in front of him, his free arm coming up so his forearm was around her neck.

"What are ya doin'!" Rogue yelled angrily, her hands coming up to try and pull Remy's arm away from her neck.

"Remy jus' playin' dhe evil kidnapper." He whispered in her ear. "An' unless yo' wan' your teachers to fin' ou' you've been a bad girl and helped fake your own kidnapping, you'd best play alon'."

Rogue had to agree with him there and so switched to herdamsel-in-distress mode. She continued to grab at Remy's arm and started to give small, pathetic gasps and cries of fear and effort. In reality, she was being terribly over the top with the whole performance but Storm and Nightcrawler seemed to be too worried to take any real notice.

"Let her go!" Storm ordered, doing well to make her voice sound strong.

"Now why wou' Gambit wan' go do a stupid t'ing like dhat for?" Remy grinned, pulling Rogue closer, just to add effect. Another moment of stillness passed before Nightcrawler suddenly teleported. Rogue more or less knew why he had teleported so she took the precaution of grabbing Jean-Luc discreetly and teleporting them all to a different part of the room moments before Nightcrawler re-entered in the spot they had just been.

"Uh, uh. Dhat's agains' dhe rules mon amie." Remy smirked condescendingly when he, Rogue and Jean-Luc re-appeared again. Rogue had to try really hard to stop herself from laughing. She had to admit, she was kinda having fun in some sort of sick, demented way. It was nice having the others think she was in trouble and trying so hard to save her. Plus, she could take the time to enjoy it since she wasn't actually worrying about the possibility that she might die. Unfortunately for Rogue though, her ability to enjoy the situation vanished when, through the open doors, she saw Cyclops and, more importantly, Wolverine charging towards them looking very, very angry.

"Logan!" Rogue gasped fearfully seconds before she teleported them all away once again. They re-entered about seven yards away from the mansion and Rogue immediately forced Remy into a run, Jean-Luc following behind.

"Why did you do dhat? Remy was jus' abou' to give yo' back."

"If Logan had got any closer, ya wouldn't have been alahve to give me back." She told him, glancing over her shoulder to see the four X-Men were now in hot pursuit of them. Remy also saw them and stopped abruptly. He turned and caught Rogue as she ran right into, using her momentumn to aid him in hoisting her up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Then, he took off running again. "Remy!" Rogue cired with a giggle.

"All part of the kidnapping service chere." Remy grinned. She gave another laugh but this one was cut short as the bangs of firing guns could be heard again.

Rogue lifted her head to see that dozens of assassins had made their way to the roof of the mansion and now seemed to be firing their guns at anything that moved. She saw Storm and Cyclops turn back to deal with them and she couldn't help wish that Wolverine had turned around as well. That was never gonna happen though. Fear for Remy seized Rogue and she knew it was time to end the "game".

"Mr LeBeau." Rogue called Jean-Luc, remembering her manners even now, as she held her hand out to him. Jean-Luc gave her a curious look but said nothing as he reached out and took her offered hand. Rogue concentrated on getting them as far away as possible. Only when she was convinced she was at the maximum distance she could manage did she teleport.

They re-entered quite a way off. They were still inside the mansion's grounds but they were at the very outskirts. Rogue felt an instant wave of fatigue once they had settled. Her head ached terribly and was filled with the loud chattering, yelling and screaming of those she had absorbed in the past. She didn't let it distract her though. After she had wriggled until Remy let her go, she started roughening her appearance.

"Ya both need to go now." Rogue ordered the two men as she ripped a long tear in her night-dress. "Keep going that way," she paused and pointed. "Until ya get to the fence. Ah think ya'll be able to manage yaselves from there."

"Yo' sure chere?" Remy checked.

"Of course Ah am. Ah ain't the one Logan wants to kill remember?" She answered, bending down to grab a handful of dirt and then using it to dirty her clothes and skin. Remy stared at her for a while before rushing over to her and sweeping her up into a hug. Rogue's eyes widened in suprise but then quickly softened as she returned the hug. "Take care Swamp Rat." She whispered to him gently, the teasing name not supported by her tone.

"Sure t'ing. Remy'll call yo' as soon as he can." Remy assured her in return. He kissed the top of her head briefly and then reluctantly let her go.

Rogue watched on somewhat forlornly as Remy and his father ran off in the direction she had told them to. Eventually, they faded away in the early morning mist. Part of Rogue couldn't help but long to go with them.

* * *

There. An ending that is no way, shape or form a cliffy. I bet you're all wondering what I'm gonna fill the next 15 chapters up with aren't ya? Only time will tell my friends. You'll all just have to be patient :D  
Catch ya'll next time.

Hugs  
Dream  
(PS-Longest chapter so far! Whoop!)


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone :)

To reply, or not to reply. That is the question!...And the answer is to reply I guess O.o:

Coletterby: It's annual poking day already! Oh God, how could I forget! (gets out my official annual poking day poking finger) Glad you're loving the story. I aim to please :)

Stinky-chan: Glad you enjoyed the chapter :)

texasgrrl:...Remy's gonna be in X3...Seriously?...Oh...MY...GOD! (runs off to try and reserve tickets right now even though I'm fully aware it doesn't come out 'til next year)

ishandahalf: Jean-Luc was being a jackass wasn't he? I think he'd be like that though since he only adopted Remy to get at his powers. Remy is indeed hated and will indeed cause more problems in the future. And chapter 16...I've started writing it and I think I'm already starting to get some cavities :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Hope the update came soon enough :)

Shaishe: Good to hear you liked it so much. Hope this chapter impresses you just as much.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Wow, it was amazing? Coolies :) All answers to your questions are within so I'll stop talking now :)

LucreziaNoin86: Glad to have you aboard newbie. By the way, isn't Lucrezia Noin that character in Gundam Wing? I love that show :D

Anna: Hmm...Good point you made there. That is explained though, so read on...

CalliopeMused: I totally agree on the hurting Remy statement. Injured Remy is just not good and will be avoided for as long as possible. That doesn't mean other people won't get hurt, it just won't be Remy, too badly at least :)

jade: Good to hear about the bits you like. Helps me know the things to write in the future. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint at all.

smiteme: I didn't really expect anyone to notice on their own. That's why I mentioned it :)

Elle: Glad you enjoyed it so much and I'm very glad that 15 more chapters isn't going to drive at least one person mad :D

Nicki: Quick update you requested, quick update I provide :)

Xtreme Nuisance: 12-I'm the oppostie. The moment I lay down, I wake up /

DOOMpenguin43: Is it foreshadowing? I ain't sayin' :D

As always, many thanks for the reviews. A review a day keeps the writer's block at bay :)  
Okay, as you may have noticed, I've changed the Drama genre to Action/Adventure. Why did I do this you may ask? Well, I did it because I have decided that there really isn't going to be enough angst in this to declare it as a Drama. There will be enough action and junk to declare it an Action/Adventure. So, the switch has been made.  
I'm just wondering, is anyone here a fan of Bam Bam? If you are, you probably won't like this chapter. It's not that I particulary hate Bam Bam, I've got nothing against her and she has her nice moments, I just needed someone to do what I wanted in this chapter. So, stand by for a made up Bam Bam personality and some major future bashing.

* * *

Last tahme Ah was kidnapped, that tahme with Magneto, Ah was welcomed back pretty much the way Ah expected. Warm hugs, statements of relief and excited requests to know what happened. Logan was casual abaht everything and left to follow up his lead and Ah was prety much left alone to make a lahfe for mahself at the school. This tahme Ah was kidnapped, this tahme with Remy, everyone's been making too much of a fuss! Desperate, emotional bear hugs, promises of fahndin'/guttin' Remy and concerned inquires abaht mah physical/emotional well bein'. Logan's hoverin' arahnd me constantly, growlin' lahke a guard dog and Ah can't even shiver withaht at least three different people askin' if Ah'm all raht. 

It ain't necessary! Ah mean, even if Remy was an actual threat to me, which they thankfully all still think he is, no way would he be more dangerous than Magneto. Let's just look at them in comparrison. Magneto: locks me up, almost kills me, powers are obviously very dangerous. Remy: length of restraint is simply holdin' me arahnd the waist and neck, doesn't even attempt to kill me, suspected powers couldn't even slow Logan dahn. C'mon people! Use ya heads, think and calm dahn before ya'll suffocate me!

Speakin' of suffocatin' me, ya know what they've gone and arranged? They've gone and called in the shrink friend of Hank's. So, on this nahce sunny afternoon that Ah could be spendin' ahtsahde, Ah'm stuck in the sittin' room with Dr. "ya can call me Mickey" Mackenzie. This guy has gotta be at least in his late forties and he's introducing himself as Mickey...Micheal Ah could understand, Mike or Mick is fair enough, but Mickey? Am Ah the only one who fahnds that disturbin'? Ya know what else is disturbin'? This silence. "Mickey" hasn't spoken since he told me Ah can call him Mickey. Ah always thaht the whole point of these kinds a things were for talkin', not sittin' arahnd in a creepy silence...Ah can't take it anymore! Ah'm gonna go nuts if someone don't start talkin'!

"Ain't somebody gonna start talkin'?"

"All right then. Tell me, how do you feel about being here?"

Ah hate it! It sucks! Get me the Hell ahtta here!

"Beats doin' homework Ah guess."

"I see. Don't you like doing homework then?"

What kinda stupid question is that!

"Do ya honestly think there's anyone who actually lahkes doin' it?"

"I suppose so...I've heard you've had a rough couple of months Rogue. You've been going out on your own a lot, sleeping irregular hours and you had some trouble with another mutant outside the institute a few days ago. Would you like to talk about any of it?"

No, so you can get lost nah.

"Do Ah have a choice?"

"Of course you have a choice Rogue. Do you not want to talk about it then?"

Woah, you're fast!

"Not much to say that Ah haven't already told the Professor."

Who Ah know ya've already talked to bahy the way.

"Okay. I've also heard you've been a little distracted lately. Why is that do you think?"

Because aliens have landed in mah mahnd and are tellin' me to go free all the kangeroos from the zoo.

"Just havin' an off period at the moment."

"I see...Tell me Rogue, where do you like to spend your free time outside the school?"

The zoo.

"The mall Ah guess."

"And why is that?"

Because aliens landed in mah mahnd and told me to free all the kangeroos in the zoo. Ah've already told you that! Pay attention will ya!

"It's the only place worth goin'"

"Mmm hmm...Be honest with me now Rogue, are you happy here at the school?"

No, Ah'm manically depressed and suicidal. Can't you tell?

"Yeah, Ah guess."

"You only guess?"

Well Ah can't be certain because Ah think all the teachers and students are evil pod-people who are here to destroy humanity as we know it and I'm the only one who can save man-kind.

"Ah am happy. That definate enough for ya?"

"There's no reason to get defensive Rogue."

Ah'll show you defensive!

"Sahrry."

"It's all right. Now, let's talk about your childhood. How do you feel about your parents?"

Oh Gahd...

* * *

Two weeks passed and Rogue was down to her last two days of being grounded. Her session with Dr. Mackenzie thankfully hadn't been repeated and she prayed it never would be. Things were settling down for her again, save for Logan who was still being a little over-protective and one other little thing; she hadn't yet had any contact with Remy. His parting words to her two and a half weeks ago had been that he's get in touch with her as soon as he could. She'd heard nothing though and was starting to worry. She couldn't help it. Being grounded gave her a lot of time to think about stuff. 

At least at the moment, she wasn't thinking of possible, horrible scenarios that could've happened to Remy. She was too busy trying to keep her balance. It was training time for the X-Men and it was Rogue's turn to practice swift, but accurate, movements. In reality, all it really was, was walking across a suspended plank of wood, without falling off while Storm blasted her with gale force winds. Rogue actually quite enjoyed training sessions. It was an ideal time to let off some steam and basically just play around. They were all instructed before hand to be aware of the strengths of their powers and things usually went along smoothly. Of course though, this is a group of arrogant teenagers we're talking about and things can't always be expected to run smoothly.

Finally losing her balance, Rogue fell off of the plank with a small grunt as she fell on her backside. She sighed in annoyance and went back to the end of the plank so she could start again. Not too far off from her, she was being watched by Kitty, Jubilee, Bobby and Tabitha, aka Bam Bam. Where as Kitty, Bobby and Jubilee were only half paying attention to Rogue's antics, Tabitha was playing very close attention, just waiting for Rogue to slip up badly.

It was no secret that Rogue and Tabitha didn't care for each other in the least. Rogue thought Tabitha was a common, ill-mannered show-off and Tabitha thought Rogue was a sappy, attention seeking mama's girl. Their rivalry had in truth only started when Tabitha began dating Bobby. Rogue had been convinced at the time that it was a ploy to get at her, Tabitha had been, and still was, obsessed with the notion that Rogue was going to try and steal Bobby back. Over time, Rogue had come to realise that her theories were simple paranoia and let them go. Tabitha however, remained convinced that she knew Rogue's alteria motives and so doubled her efforts to mark her "territory". She began to shamelessly flaunt her relationship with Bobby at any available moment and often tried to goad Rogue into arguements and fights. Thusly, the rivalry began.

From Rogue's point of view, the bitter feelings between them were fading. She had other elements of her life to focus on now and could no longer be bothered with the immaturity of it all. For Tabitha, they were intensifying. She saw Rogue's lack of interest in herself and Bobby as a ploy to lead her into a false sense of security. Tabitha "knew" that Rogue was waiting for the moment she dropped her guard and then she'd sweep in and steal Bobby. It was because of this extreme paranoia that her "brilliant plan" came about. Though in truth, she had only been planning it for the past half hour. Not quite long enough to call it a plan but not short enough to call it a moment of madness. It was when she saw Rogue start her walk again that she decided to go ahead with the idea.

"Anyone else totally bored?" Tabitha groaned from her position laying on the grass next to Bobby. Several grunts of agreement were her reply. "How 'bout doin' something then?"

"Like what?" Kitty muttered, liking Tabitha only a little more than Rogue.

"We could play a game." Tabitha suggested.

"Like what?" Kitty repeated herself, knowing full well she was annoying the other girl.

"I dunno. Something simple like tag'd do." Tabitha replied, choosing her words carefully so it sounded like a random idea plucked out of the air.

"That is so boring and childish." Kitty criticised.

"We could make it more interesting." The blonde mutant told her.

"How?" Jubilee asked, deciding it had been too long since she had last spoken.

"Erm..." Tabitha hummed, pretending to think. "Oh, I know! Instead of just touching someone to tag them, you have to hit them with your powers."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Bobby pointed out.

"Not if we control ourselves. We all know how to control our powers so they're felt but don't hurt." Tabitha answered. The other three looked at each other wearily. Tabitha realised they weren't going to take the bait and so, in panic,acted quickly. "Oh c'mon guys! It'll be fun!" She encouraged, jumping to her feet. "I'll even start." She offereed, already beginning to form a glowing cherry bomb between her cupped hands. She knew exactly what size it had to be to get the desired effect. She formed another two to give her three. Then struck. "Hey Kitty, think fast!" She laughed as the three small balls flew out of Tabitha's hands and intentionally soared over Kitty's head and kept going. Kitty and Jubilee snickered at her and even Bobby had to turn his head away to hide the smile that had surfaced.

"Nice aiming." Kitty smirked while Jubilee continued to laugh. Tabitha just smirked back at them causing Kitty's to fade as an odd sensation of suspicious dread passed over her. Then, as if on cue, Bobby gave a frightened shout:

"Rogue!"

* * *

And that's it for now... 

...

...

...

(Looks over to see hundreds of people all holding pitch forks and tourches)

Okay, okay, geez, it was just a joke! I do that! It was meant to be funny! You know, hahahahahahahaha...?

(Silence)

Oh forget it. Here's the rest :)

* * *

Upon falling off a second time, Rogue all but gave up. Although she did try again, she no longer concentrated on the task and instead began to talk with Head Remy. 

"What d'ya reckon the chances of Remy gettin' himself into trouble are?" She asked silently.

"All depends. Yo' sure dhe Wolverine didn' find him?" Head Remy checked.

"Yeah. He lost the scent 'cause Ah teleported arahnd too much and mixed it up with other stuff accordin' to him. Havin' said that though, Logan went out all day yesterday and he's been gone most of today...Ya don't think...He couldn't have tracked him dahn could he? What if that's the reason he hasn't called!"

"Do yo' honestly t'ink he'd be able to pick up dhe scent good enough after two weeks if he couldn' pick it up after two minutes?"

"Ah guess not...Still, whah haven't Ah heard anything from him?"

The conversation stopped abruptly when Rogue could've sworn she heard Bobby calling her though it was hard to be sure, because of the wind which howled around her. She turned to face the direction Bobby was in and let out a gasp when she saw the three glowing balls speeding towards her. Her arms instinctively came up to cover her face but her legs refused to move when she tried to dive away. The small bombs hit her square in the stomach and exploded violently on contact. Rogue heard nothing but ringing in her ears and feltonly the air rush around her as she was sent rocketing back, her feet totally leaving the ground. Before she could shut her eyes in anticipation of her landing, she crashed into something hard and sturdy. Pain shot through her spine and the impact caused her head to lash backwards and smash into whatever had stopped her. When that happened, nothing more was felt.

* * *

Okay, that's the real end and yay, it's still a cliffy :D I just couldn't keep off of the cliffies for long. I can't help it! I love writing cliffies :)  
How was that was for speedy review though. A new chapter in five days. Don't expect it all the time. You might get another one like it but after that I'll be back to school again so I'll have less time on my hands for doing what I really want to do :)  
Hope you all liked it anyway. Let me know if you did. Let me know if you didn't, but if you're telling me that, please try and be nice about it :)  
Catch ya'll next time :) 

Hugs  
Dream


	16. Chapter 16

Hi everyone :)

A very happy un-birthday to you! To me? A very happy un-birthday! To me? Yes you!...I have no idea what that has to do with answering reviews, I just felt like singing it O.o:

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Here's the update :)

Didaskaleinophobia: You don't like me?...sniff...WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME!...cough...I'm okay now O.o

texasgrrl: Good to hear you enjoyed the doctor scene. That tickled me when I first made it up as well :) Glad to hear you don't like Bam Bam because she's gonna be a right bitch in future chapters :D

IvyZoe: Those three were being a little dense weren't they? As for the return of Remy, fear not, He's back and full of Cajun love this chapter :)

tara: Glad you enjoyed it. Hope the update was fast enough for ya :)

Stinky-chan: Good to hear I've started spring break off well. Hopefully, this update will help make it a little better :)

Elle457: The cliffs keep you hooked? Sweet! And there was me just trying to be annoying :) And you added me to your favourites list? I'm honoured :)

Freak87: 14-YOU HAVEN'T LEFT ME! OH GOD I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! (cries and hugs you tightly)...I'm okay now O.o Anyways, I'm exactly the same as you when it comes to the internet. I get really annoyed if I don't get to go on it for even just one day :) So, I get two reviews in a row? Yes, I do feel special :) (makes a big sticker that says "I'm special" and sticks it on my shirt) I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 14. Yes, Remy is still a suspected teleporter so that was my excuse for letting Rogue bamphf them around.  
15-Good to hear you don't mind how Bam Bam is portrayed. Wouldn't wanna put you off :)

ishandahalf: I'm sure Rogue will be fine and I can say that 'cause I'm the author :D

DOOMpenguin43: What can I say? Tabitha's just a bitch in this story :) Hope this update came swiftly enough for you :)

adrenaline addict: You know, I wans't actually gonna have a confrontation between Rogue and Tabitha but now I'm thinking I'm going to have to have one. So many people want to see Rogue kick Tabitha's ass lol

Friend to All: 14-I wondered where you had disappeared to. Thought maybe you'd got bored -.-But you haven't so that's great :) Glad you liked the chapter :)  
15-Remy will return in this very chapter. As for "the boss", which by the way I love the name :), they're mentioned this very chapter though only briefly. I haven't said whether it's a girl or a boy because that'd just totally give away who it is.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: As always, questions will and have been answered and once again, the update came asap just because you asked so nicely :)

Shaishe: Glad ya did.

LucreziaNoin86: You like my sense of hunour? Yay! Someone finds me funny :D

Nicki: Remy absence ends and it explained this very chapter :)

Coletterby: Nooooooooooooo! Don't die! You're too funny to die! I like funny people so don't die. Here's some chocolate to fill you up as I'm sure you're feeling pretty hungry at the moment and also to make sure you don't die :)

chicita: I know what you mean about the helpless Rogue thing. It really bugs me that they made movie Rogue such woose and that's really the only reason people write Rogue as a wimp in movie stories. Anyways, that's enough ranting from me. I hope you enjoy this update :)

Karone Evertree: Don't worry about not having reviewed before. Just as long as you've enevtually got around so I know how you're liking it; and now i know you're loving it! Coolies :D

NewGirlINblack: Hey, you're new! And you're already faithful! Sweeeeeet. Glad to have you on board the ROMY ship. Hope you enjoy your stay :)

jade: Lol, yes, we can't insult the female dogs :) Hope the update came quick enough for you.

Pyromainiac: I am evil, aren't I? Still, I hope this update came fast enough. I guess I'm just one of those nice evil people :)

Meraculas: Glad to have you back in the reviewing community. Remember, communities always share the popcorn :)

firestorm13: Tabby will come but not this chapter, Remy does more than just call and sadly no appearance of Head Remy this chapter.

Big thanks for all the reviews. Always appreciated :)  
Okay, due to popular demand, there will be a confrontation between Tabitha and Rogue. However, you shall all have to wait a couple of chapters before it happens. I've thought of a way to fit it in and it fits in a few chapter from now. I'll have to add a bit of stuff in the next few chapters now as well. I hope you all know you're just making this story longer! I might have to add an extra chapter. And if I do, it'll be all your own fault :)  
Also, would just like to point out the super speedy update. I mean, c'mon. Three days. That's gotta be some kinda record, right?

* * *

Awareness crashed in me lahke a sledge hammer. One second Ah was aht for the cahnt the next Ah'm as alert as ever. Plus mah eyes were itchin' really badly...And Ah suddenly have memories of mah parents dahing in a plane crash, only they weren't mah parents and the last tahme Ah checked, Ah've never been a ten year old boy. That's when Ah realised that these were someone elses memories. These were Scott's memories. Scott touched me.

* * *

The rest of that afternoon for Rogue was pretty hectic. She was rushed down to the Med Lab the moment she woke up and she had to keep her eyes shut the whole time because of her newly aquired bazooka eyes courtisy ofScott. She wasn't too aware of anything really, what with her eyes having to stay closed and Scott's mind finding Logan's mind in her head. They began a cussing match which was so entertaining, it had to be concentrated on. 

Rogue did manage to pick up bits of what happened. Bits like it was Tabitha who caused the explosion and that Bobby had almost immediately broken up with her because of it. She also found out that Scott had panicked and went to check her pulse, totally forgetting about her skin. It was kinda sweet he was so concerned really.

By the evening, Rogue felt much better again. Her final diagnosis was that she may have a slight concussion and one Hell of a bruised spine but otherwise would be fine. Both Hank and Jean commented that for what had happened, her injuries should have been much worse. Her X-Men uniform had protected her from being burnt by the explosion but she should've at least had a bruise on her stomach. Also, for the speed that her head had hit the tree, her head was surprisingly un-damaged. Head Remy revealed to her later that while she had been knocked out for that minute or so, Head Logan had pushed himself forward and healed the worse of her injuries before Head Remy could get back in control again.

And now, it was mid-night and Rogue once again couldn't sleep. She took back what she had said earlier about Scott and Logan arguing. After listening to them argue over Jean for eight hours now, it was starting to get just a tad annoying. She was slowly making her way downstairs and to the kitchen, as had become her routine for all to frequent sleepless nights. She gave a huge yawn just as she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned slightly to take a small detour to the open sitting room doors. Doesn't-sleep-boy, who Rogue found out name is actually Tony, was watching TV as always.

"Still having trouble sleeping?" He asked, still staring at the glowing screen.

"Yep. Anything good on?" Rogue inquired.

"Nope." He told her.

"Fair enough." She replied. A pause. "Ah'll catch ya later." She finally told him.

"Sure thing." Tony called after her as she moved away from the door and carried on towards the kitchen. As she got further down the corridor, she realised that the kitchen light was on. She frowned lightly in confusion but didn't hesitate to go inside, only to find Bobby sitting at the counter with a bowl of ice-cream in front of him. Rogue supressed a groan of dread. This would be the first time they would be alone since they broke up.

"Hey." Bobby greeted her, sounding a little nervous.

"Hey." Rogue returned as she walked stiffly into the kitchen and went straight for the cupboard where the biscuits were kept. She was now intent of getting in, grabbing what she wanted and then promptly getting out again. For her, conversation just wasn't an option; though it obviously was for Bobby.

"You're up late." He pointed out.

"So are you." Rogue countered, reaching the desired cupboard. There was an awkward silence during which Rogue got down on her knees, ignoring the protests of her sore back, and opened the small door the biscuits hid behind.

"I broke up with Tabitha." He told her, finally breaking the silence.

"So Ah heard earlier. Sahrry." She replied half-heartedly, trying to concentrate on finding the elusive biscuits.

"Don't be. Things haven't been good for a while now." He admitted.

"Could'a fooled me the way ya both always in a lip-lock." Rogue muttered to herself, quietly enough so that Bobby couldn't hear her.

"Plus, what she did to you was wrong." He added, sounding like he was leading onto something. Rogue doubled her efforts and stuck her head inside the cupboard. Where the Hell were the biscuits! "Tabitha's always been jealous of you. I used to think it was stupid and she had no reason to. Then I realised she had every reason to...Because I've never got over you Rogue." That was it! Screw the biscuits! She just had to get out of there.

"Bahbby, Ah...Ow!" Rogue gasped as she rose with her head still in the cupboard. Her bump from earlier became ever more of a bump as it hit the surface above. Bobby was by her side in a flash as she quickly eased her head out and sat on the floor.

"Are you alright?" He asked, coming to crouch in front of her.

"Ah'm fahne." Rogue insisted, moving back to try and put some distance between them as she held her head and fought back tears of pain. Once the sting in the back of her head had faded somewhat and the desire to cry had passed, Rogue lifted her head only to find Bobby's face mere inches away from hers. She let out a startled gasp and tried to scoot back some more. Bobby simply closed the little space she gained again.

"We never should have broken up." He told her in a hushed tone. Rogue could only gulp nervously. "I think we should give it another try."

Rogue's eyes widened instantly and she stared at Bobby like he had suddenly grown not only a second head but a third as well. He couldn't be serious! He wanted them to get back together! What had changed? He dumped her because of her skin. The skin certainly hadn't changed. Nothing was different. Did he really think her skin wouldn't matter suddenly? The whole idea made no sense! But how could she tell him that? She wasn't any good at this sort of thing and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Just when Rogue was getting ready to speak, Bobby began to lean in. Rogue pressed herself right up against the cupboards, barely even noticing her back's protests. Then, as if an unspoken prayer was answered, the scrap of a chair was heard across the room. Both Rogue's and Bobby's head snapped in the direction of the noise to see Tony by the abandoned bowl of ice-cream.

"Sorry. Am I interrupting?" Tony asked innocently.

"No! No, you're not!" Rogue assured quickly while she started to get to her feet. "Ah was just abaht to go back to bed as it happens." Now fully on her feet, she hurried over to the kitchen entrance. "See ya in the mornin'." She murmured as she left the room. She hurried on down the corridor and didn't stop unitl she was halfway up the stairs and she heard someone coming down the corridor. Curiosity got the better of her and she leaned over the banister to see who it was. From the height of the figure, Rogue knew it was Tony. She watched as he approached her, glass of milk in hand, and he tilted his head up to look at her but didn't stop.

"You owe me one." He told her quietly before he dropping his gaze on her and going back into the sitting room.

Rogue stared after the young boy and smiled widely, despite how she was feeling inside. She slowly turned from her position and headed up the stairs again, her smile fading again as worry took over. She had enough going on in her life; she hoped another thing hadn't just been added.

* * *

For the first time in months, Rogue had a Friday night date. Unfortunately, it was with a complete stranger who also happened to be human. 

That morning, her first day of freedom after a month of being grounded, she had been cornered by Bobby asking if he could take her out that night. Luckily for Rogue, Jubilee had passed by at that moment and she managed to convince Bobby with her support that she already had plans. Unluckily for Rogue, Jubilee made her stick to said made up plans. So there she was, un-enthustiastically dawdling down the street on her way to meet Jubilee's friend...erm...what's-his-name, at the movies. She wasn't looking forward to it, she didn't want to go, she was so tempted to just go to Joe's...But she couldn't. Her conscience wouldn't let her.

Coming up to a turning, Rogue paused and checked her watch. She had five minutes until she had to meet what's-his-name. She was ten minutes away from the cinema. From what she could tell, she had two choices; continue onto the cinema and be a bit late or take the longer route and be really late. Bearing in mind that if she took the longer route and was really late, then what's-his-name might get bored of waiting and leave. Yep, that was a good plan. That's the plan she'd go with. That decided, she carried on forward instead of turning left.

After a few minutes of walking, Rogue spotted something which made her body freeze and her heart start to pound violently in her chest. A motorbike. Remy's motorbike! She broke herself out of her stupor and dashed over to it, staring at it in a mixture of surprise and astonishment. Could it really be Remy's bike? It sure looked like his. If it was his though, that meant he was in the local area and if he was in the local area, why hadn't he come to see her? It had been two and a half weeks...Maybe he'd lost interest in her. She'd helped him get information, she'd helped him save his father. Maybe that's all he wanted. And even if he hadn't been using her at the time, maybe he decided that a relationship with someone you can't touch isn't worth it. She knew what he was like. He was very into the intimate side of relationships. She couldn't expect him to be satisfied with her.

A slight throbbing started to ache in Rogue's head, but she didn't care. She ignored it and ran her finger tips across the length of the motorbike. She was only upsetting herself and inside she knew it. That still didn't stop her from thinking and feeling that way though. She couldn't help it. She had fallen for Remy so hard and so fast and from the way he acted towards her, she thought it was the same for him as well. Maybe it was, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Considering who she was, it was more likely the latter. A tear slipped out of her eye and she didn't even try to stop it. Her head still hurt and she felt kinda faint but she didn't care. She looked away from the bike as if disgusted and prepared to turn and carry on to the cinema.

"Yo' like wha' yo' see dhen hmm?"

Rogue immediately halted and spun round to come face to face with Remy grinning his usual cheeky grin. However, that grin faded when he saw Rogue's slightly puffy, blood-shot eyes and the damp trail down her cheeks.

"Chere? Yo' okay?"

Rogue stared at him neutraly for a moment and Remy only got more worried. Then, suddenly, out of no where, Rogue burst out laughing. Remy's expression turned confused.

"Marie?"

"You're such a jerk!" She laughed as she gently punched his chest. "Ah don't care though. Ah don't care abaht that." She told him, her laughter fading. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. Remy could only stare down at the top of her head and slowly wrap his arms around her. He had absolutely no idea about what had just happened and seemed trapped in a state of utter confusion.

They stayed in their embrace for quite a while, Remy gently rubbing Rogue's back in what he hoped was a comforting manner, while Rogue just kept her face hidden in his chest and heavily breathed in his scent. She seemed to have totally forgotten they were still standing that the edge of a public pavement though Remy was more than aware of the looks they were getting from some people, most giving that look that says, "aww, that's so sweet".

"Remy?" Rogue suddenly whispered.

"Mmm cherie?" Remy murmured, gently smoothing down her hair.

"Where have ya been?" She inquired meekly.

"Remy'll tell yo' chere, but not here. C'mon, let's go somewhere nicer oui?" He suggested, no longer able to put up with the nosey public, as he guided Rogue closer to his motorbike. Rogue gave a small nod and got on the bike after Remy had. She slipped her arms around his waist tightly while Remy flipped the kick-stand up with his foot and revved up the engine. Moments later, they sped off down the road, what's-his-name totally forgotten.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Remy pulled them over on the curb next to a small park. After getting off the motorbike and helping Rogue off, Remy's arm encircled her shoulders while she brought her own arm up to wrap around his waist, her head leaning to rest against the side of his chest. They walked in silence for some time before finding a bench and sitting down on it, Remy's arm staying around Rogue's shoulders and Rogue keeping her head resting on his side. 

"Sorry Remy never called yo' cherie, but he got into some trouble." He told her gently.

"Trouble?" Rogue repeated worridly.

"Oui, wit' dhe assasins and Belle. Remy mentioned Belle before right?" Remy asked and continued when he felt Rogue nod against him. "Well, Belle is Juli's sister and obviously part o' dhe Rippers. Jean-Luc always had dhis t'ing 'bout Remy and Belle gettin' married. Sees it as an effective way to brin' dhe assassins down. Course, he don' advertise it like dhat. He says it be the ideal way to unite dhe t'ieves and assassins and unfortunately, Belle's fadher startin' to agree.

"Dhey caught Remy off guard and gave him a place to "stay" while dhey "discussed" wit' him dhe advantages of dhis arranged marriage. Dhey also t'ought dhe message would be easier to ge' across if Remy didn' have any distractions, so dhey took his cell phone for "safe keepin'". Remy finally managed to ge' ou' dhis mornin'. Got his bike and made his way here as fas' as he could. Remy wan'ed to call yo'. He tried so hard to find a way..." He trailed off.

Rogue remained silent after Remy had finished. She wasn't really sure what to say. She felt so many things. She felt glad there was an explanation, felt guilt because she doubted his return, felt ashamed for thinking so little of him. She knew she was going to have to speak soon and so took in a readying breathe before sitting up, her intention was so that he could look at him.

"Ah was really worried when Ah didn't hear from ya. Ah though something horrible had happened to ya..." Rogue began to explain, her previous intentions abandoned as she lowered her head and stared at the ground between her feet. "Then, only today, mah thinkin' changed. Ah wondered...Ah wondered in maybe, nah that ya father's safe, ya'd upped and gone." She admitted sadly, her eyes shutting tightly to try and stop the tears she knew were coming.

"Yo' really t'ink dhat little of Remy?" He asked, sounding more than a little hurt. His hurt voice was just what Rogue didn't need at that moment and it made it almost impossible not to cry.

"Ah guess, yeah. Ah mean no! Ah mean...Ah don't know! Ah'm sahrry, Ah really am! Ah thought abaht Bahbby and Ah panicked! Mah imagination ran away with me and Ah...Ah..." Her voice turned quivery towards the end and then finally breaking, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"It's okay. It's okay chere. Don' cry, it's alrigh'. Remy understands." Remy soothed her lovingly as she began to sob into his shoulder. He couldn't be mad at her for thinking what she did. He was in her head after all, she knew what he was usually like with girls. Plus, what Bobby had treated her like. He suddenly really felt like punching that stupid ice boy right about now. He couldn't think about that now though. He had to concentrate on Rogue. "Yo' don' have to worry 'bout dhose t'ings cherie. Remy not gon' leave leave yo' for anyt'ing, let alone jus' 'cause of your skin."

"But Remy..." Rogue began to protest.

"No Marie, yo' not allowed to disagree wit' me. Dhere are ways around your skin. I'm not gon' leave you...I love yo' too much." He told her.

"Ya what!" Rogue gasped, her head shooting up so she could stare at him.

"Never said dhat to anyone before. Made a point of never sayin' it unless I really meant it...And I'm positive I mean it now. I love you Marie." He admitted softly. Rogue stared at him with an un-readable expression and Remy's heart sped up as he began to fear rejection. He knew how she felt about him but maybe her fear of being hurt was stronger. His fear quickly vanished htough when she gave a half cry, half laugh and threw herself into his arms.

"Ah love ya to! Ah love ya to!" She cried joyfully. A huge smile broke out on Remy's face and they held each other tightly. Suddenly, Remy moved Rogue away a little to give him room to rummage around in his pocket. Eventually, he pulled out the scarf that Rogue had bought the day she met Head Remy.

"See? Dhere are ways to ge' aroun' it." He told her as he draped the material across the bottom half of Rogue's face. Her eyes shut in anticipation and seconds later, Remy's lips were on hers, protection of the thin material. Their skin may not have been touching but that took nothing away from the pleasure and intimicy of it all. Their kiss deepened when Remy slowly traced her lips with tongue and Rogue boldly darted her own out to touch his.

As the two continued their innocent pleasure, inside Rogue's head, two consciences observed the events and smiled brightly. Operation "Snag Remy" was officially a success.

* * *

All together now; awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Don't you just have a warm fuzzy feeling inside now? I know I do :)  
Catch ya'll next time :)

Hugs  
Dream


	17. Chapter 17

Hi everyone :) 

20 e-mails. Every single one a review...Enough said:

willaj: 15-Remy returned last chapter so you can stop hating me now :)

Meraculas: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. The way I have the story planned out, there's only one way the X-Men will be able to react. How will they react? You're just gonna have to wait and see :D

tara: It was, wasn't it? Makes you wanna go hug someone :D

Vorskla: Dude, you've got a creepy laugh :D I updated as soon as I could :)

ishandahalf: Ah yes, the fight between Rogue and Tabitha. I'm already planning it out and it'sprobably gonna happenthe chapter after next :D I'm hoping it's gonna turn out as good in words as it is in my mind :)

Lauren: All your questions have been answered inside the story. So read on and I hope you approve :)

Anna: Stuff like He/She-who-must-not-be-named, (I love how you did that by the way :) ) will be explained but it will be much later in the story, right when I'm starting to wrap things up. If I start explaining stuff before then the whole mystery will un-ravel and the ending will be a flop.

Elle457: Is it meant to be too?...I have no clue. I'm terrible at using to and too. I always get them confused :) I'll go back at some point and change it :)

dmulder-fmulder: Glad to hear you're enjoying the story so much. Good to have you with us and I hope you continue to enjoy it :)

Friend to All: You're so nice :) I have talent? (blush) Glad you liked it so much and here's the update :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Here's the update :)

DOOMpenguin43: No clue? That's so great :) I love it when people don't know what's gonna come next :D

Freak87: Yay, the huge reviews are back! I made up the name Tony for the doesn't-sleep-boy because I didn't really think I could get away with calling him doesn't-sleep-boy all the time. It is not the end of the shopping bag saga. I know when that's going to end and it won't be a few chapters yet. As for the other conscience, I'm not gonna tell ya :D

Pyromainiac: Yay, I'm forgiven:) Ooo, the Beatles! (hums along with you)

texasgrrl: Glad you're liking what I'm doing. I'm also glad that the love scene wasn't too mushy and corny. It really bugs me when people have love scenes over emotional. So unrealistic.

Nicki: Another speedy update? How speedy was this? Hope it was speedy enough, however long it took. I forgot to check lol.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: So many questions! I can tell you one thing. The guy Rogue ditched won't be making a appearance which is why I didn't bother giving him a real name.

adrenaline addict: I laughed at you review so much, it really tickled me for some reason. I've got a shiney gold star! Yay! (clutches the star tightly) As for Remy having a go at Bobby, if you're really good, you might just get something next chapter...:D PS; I loved the Biker Mice from Mars :) Probably still would if they still showed it over here lol

Karone Evertree: I'm glad you like the chapter. I just don't like the movie Bobby so he'll get a lot of stick, just like Tabitha :)

firestorm13: ROMY moments make the world go round :)

chicita: The other person in my head will remain secret for many more chapters to come and it'll also be quite some time before people start figuring stuff out for themselves.

hesquidor: Good to have you back and I'm glad you are now fully stocked up on the ROMYness :)

CalliopeMused: Lol, I so totally agree with that. I don't like movie Bobby though. They should've made him more playful like he usually is.

Coletterby: Probably a combination of the two :)

Wiccangurl: Wow, that's a lot of reading lol. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. Can I ask, are you actually Wiccan or is that just a name?

Many, many thank yous for the wonderful reviews. You guys keep me wanting to write )  
Okay, I have to ask just in case, does anyone know if Rogue has an official last name? We all know her official real name is Marie, but does she have an official surname or do I have to make one up? I'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me. Thanking anyone in advance. Thanks:)  
Now, we've had our fun with this story, it's all been mostly light-hearted and funny so far. That, unfortunately, will change for at least the next few chapters, the worst most likely being chapter 19. So, to get us all ready for such sadness, even if it's probably only gonna be two or three chapters at the most, we will absolutely overdoes on sugarey content in this chapter. So get ready for enough ROMY goodness to keep you stocked up for a year, giggly, lovesick teenage girls and more humour than you could shake a stick shaped thing at :D

* * *

Guess what? Ah know hah the world is gonna end. The world will officially end when Logan and Scott snap and settle their arguement over Jean physically. That will be the end of the world. And Ah know this because it's already happenin' in mah head. It's lahke World War III in there raht nah. Above all the other voices that are chattering awah, there's Logan and Scott arguing ovah whose better for Jean. It's kinda sad really. Ah mean, c'mon, what's so great abaht Jean Grey? Yeah, she's kinda pretty and she's nice but seriously, what's with the obsessive attractions? They really both need to get a lahfe. Being so obssessed with someone can't be healthy.

* * *

Rogue returned to the school just after mid-night after having a wonderful evening with Remy. They mostly spent the evening on the bench, catching up with each other in more ways than one. It was mostly Rogue doing the talking as she had the most to tell and managed to fully catch Remy up with what was happening to her in her life. Eventually, Rogue reluctantly insisted on going back to the school so Remy gave her a ride, dropping her off a safe distance from the school. After checking in with Scott so he knew she was back, she teleported herself to her room and got straight into the shower to wash Remy's scent off of her. She went to bed feeling warm and fuzzy inside, the pressure of Remy's lips on hers still almost felt. She slept through the night for the first time in ages. 

When Rogue woke up the next morning, she was still on her high and she basically skipped down to the late Saturday breakfast. Breakfast at the school was usually from seven a.m. to eight a.m. Saturday breakfast was from ten a.m. to eleven a.m. It was a building full of teenagers after all. A change for Saturday was necessary. Rogue grabbed a plate from the stack by the door as she passed it and went over to Kitty and Jubilee, hugging them each in turn as she called the Kitty-Kat and Jubi-Jubes. They both stared at Rogue in surprise as she began to fill her plate.

"Erm, morning Rogue." Kitty greeted her unsurely.

"Ain't it just?" Rogue beamed happily in reply.

"I think someone had a good time last night." Jubilee grinned triumphantly.

"Yes Ah did." Rogue smiled before taking a bite of one of the pancakes on her plate.

"So you and Adam really hit it off then?" Jubille inquired excitedly.

"Adam?...Oh, ya mean what's-his-name. As it is, no, Ah didn't. Didn't even bother to meet him actually." Rogue corrected in a matter-of-fact voice.

"You never met him?" Jubilee cried indignantly as though it was a personal insult to her.

"Why are you so happy then?" Kitty asked.

"'Cause Ah met someone else." Rogue revealed, holding back a joyous giggle.

"Really? Ooo, who is it?" Jubilee questioned enthustiastically.

"Weren't you just mourning her love for Adam that never was?" Kitty pointed out.

"Mind ya business. Who did you meet?" Jubilee asked Rogue after dismissing Kitty's remark.

"Well, his name's Remy LeBeau..." Rogue began.

"French. Nice." Jubilee nodded.

"...He's twen'y four..." Rogue continued.

"An older guy? Very nice." Jubilee said, now smiling widely.

"And he's got a motorbike." Rogue finished, now grinning like a cheshire cat.

"A motorbike? I so definately approve!" Jubilee giggled, her eyes lighting up.

"Wait a minute before you start setting the wedding date for her Jubes." Kitty advised seriously. "Rogue...Did you tell him you're a mutant?" She asked her friend gently. Jubilee seemed to fall to Earth with a crash and was suddenly as serious as Kitty. They both looked at her expectantly and Rogue just continued to smile.

"Yeah, Ah did." She told them easily.

"And he was okay with it?" Kitty checked in a motherly way.

"Well, it'd be pretty hypocritical if he wasn't since he's a mutant as well." Rogue enlightened them.

"He is? This just keeps getting better and better!" Jubilee gushed happily. "What are his powers?"

"He can channel kinetic energy into objects to make them blow up. He's also got some empathic abilities as well." Rogue explained, her smile still not fading.

"An empath! Rogue, you've found the perfect guy! He'll be so caring, so sensitive, so considerate of your feelings and you can talk to him about anything! Fashion, literature..." Jubilee began to list.

"He's an empath Jube, not gay." Kitty smirked to her friend, promptly shutting her up mid-sentence. She then turned to Rogue and gave her a sly grin.

"So I'm gonna take a wild guess here and gather that you're gonna see this Remy guy again sometime, right?" She asked, her tone mildly amused for some reason.

"Whah yes, yes Ah am. In fact," Rogue said, pausing to look at her wrist watch. "Ah have to go and get ready to meet him at twelve." That said, she got up from her seat and headed out of the dining room.

"Yes! That's my girl! You go show him how lucky he is!" Jubilee called after her, catching the attention of basically everyone in the room by doing so. "What?" She asked when she saw everyone was looking at her. "I was just being encouraging." She justified.

After that declaration, most people went back to thier breakfasts. The teachers, Logan and Bobby however,had allsuddenly lost their appetites.

* * *

Rogue was still on her high when she left the school at half eleven. She walked so fast she was almost jogging so it was no real surprise that she reached their meeting place, the park from the night before, twenty minutes before she was due. What was surprising though, was the fact Remy was already waiting for her. He stood by the roadside in front of the park, leaning against his motorbike, idly shuffling a deck of cards. No longer bothered to walk and too excited about seeing Remy, Rogue teleported. 

"Hey there sugah." She greeted Remy coyly when she reappeared right in front of him. He was obviously expecting her to do something like that because he didn't even flinch at her sudden appearance from no where.

"Morning mon amour." Remy replied, leaning down and kissing the top of Rogue's head.

"Whah are ya here so early?" She asked as she slipped her arms around his waist.

"Couple reasons; not'in' else to do, got bored, couldn' wai' to see your beautiful face again." He murmured huskily, tilting Rogue's face up and running his gloved thumb over her bottom lip.

"Well ain't ya just a little ol' charming Swamp Rat." Rogue grinned playfully.

"You wan' Remy to stop?" He asked with mock severity.

"Ah never said anything abaht ya stoppin'" Rogue declined, still grinning. "Bah all means, continue telling me hah beautiful Ah am."

"No, Remy don' t'ink he will. He jus' don' much feel like talkin' righ' now." He told her, pulling the scarf from the pocket of his trench coat and drapping it over her lips seconds before he captured them with his own. Their kiss lasted only a few moments before Remy pulled away, taking the scarf between his teeth and pulling it away with him as he did. He took the material out of his mouth and then spoke. "C'mon. Remy takin' yo' ou' to lunch."

"Where at?" Rogue inquired as Remy straddled his motorbike.

"It's a surprise." He told her simply as she got behind him. He waited for her to settle and after checking she was ready, he drove them off towards their destination.

* * *

"No Remy. Ah ain't going in!" Rogue told Remy stubbornly, trying to pull her gloved hand away from his. 

"But Remy already made dhe reservation chere. It'd be a waste not to go." He pointed out, not releasing her hand.

Remy had driven them both to a very nice little French restraurant. It looked very posh and elegant and that was the problem. Rogue felt, no, Rogue knew she was totally under-dressed for such a classy place and would stick out like a sore thumb inside. Also, it was obviously an expensive place and she wasn't sure if she felt right about Remy spending so much on her when she would be just as happy just going somewhere simple.

"Ya should'a told me before, then! Ah can't go into a fancy place lahke that dressed lahke this." She continued to protest, still wriggling her hand out of his grip. She knew she was getting close to freedom, just one more yank should do it.

"Uh, uh chere. Yo' not allowed to ge' away." Remy chided playfully with a shake of his head. He quickly pulled Rogue towards him sharply before she could get her hand away and she was forced towards him. She gave a small cry of surprise when she lurched forward and a quiet grunt when she collided with Remy's firm chest. "Remy t'ink yo' look perfect." He whispered, leaning down so his lips were as close to hers as they could be without actual contact. Rogue's breath hitched in her throat and a blush burned her cheeks but she happily noted that she felt no desire to move away. Their eyes met and Rogue knew this was a battle she was going to lose.

"Okay, fahne." She said with a heavy sigh though it was clear she wasn't too disappointed with the loss. Remy only smiled a bit more and draped his arm around her shoulders. They headed into the small, but extravagant, restraurant.

Remy held the door open for her and followed in and the came to a stop by the front desk. Rogue glanced into the rest of the restraurant and felt immediately out of place. Not only were she and Remy obviously the youngest people in the place by miles, but they were also the most casualy dressed. Even just from the entrance, she could see that everyone else in the place were either in designer suits or at least dressed like they had expected to go to a nice place for lunch. Rogue gave a small sigh of dread just as a snooty looking waiter came over.

"May I help you sir?" The waiter asked Remy in an equaly snooty French accent. His tone was blatantly condescending but Remy seemed unfazed and merely smiled and replied.

"Reservations under LeBeau."

The waiter checked a book on the desk. He flipped over a few pages before looking up and giving them a totally fake smile.

"This way please Monsieur LeBeau." He said, taking a couple of menus from the table. Remy gave Rogue a sly, amused glance before leading her after the waiter. They were shown to a small table over near a corner. Remy helped Rogue into her seat before sitting himself. "Marina will be your waitress." The waiter told them, handing them their menus. He then left them.

"Woah, condecendin' much?" Rogue laughed quietly. Remy smiled in amusement but said nothing as he opened his menu and began looking through it. Rogue did the same but frowned lightly. "Remy, give me a hand will ya sugah?" She asked Head Remy silently.

"Why no' jus' ask him?" Head Remy asked, referring to Real Remy.

"'Cause you're easy access." She told him. "Nah will ya help me or not?"

"Fine. Avoid the escagot." He advised.

"Ah know that much, Ah ain't an idiot." Rogue defended. Her eyes skimmed down the list of meals and she picked one at random. "Hah 'baht number three?" She suggested.

"Perfect if yo' appreciate dhe delicacy of cow brains and eggs." Head Remy said.

"Cah brains and eggs?" Rogue repeated in grossed out amazement. "Uck, French people have weird taste in food...What abaht number seven?" She queried.

"Dhat'd be all right, jus' fancy steak."

"Hmm, Ah ain't really hungry for meat...They got any seafood?"

"Try dhe next page...Next one...Ahh, dhere yo' go...Dhey've got lobster."

"Ah won't eat lobster, ya know that."

"Oh yeah, dhe "incident". That still makes Remy laugh."

"Only 'cause you weren't there! They got anything with crab?"

"Marie?"

"Oui. Number five is crab. Number seven is crab and shrimp."

"Marie?"

"Shrimp as well hmm? Oh, but look at the prahce! Ah can't ask him to pay that much."

"Marie?"

"Remy's callin' yo' cherie."

"Huh?" Rogue gasped out loud, raising her head to see Real Remy looking at her intently.

"Yo' 'kay chere?" Real Remy asked.

"Yeah, Ah'm fahne" She assured.

"Yo' sure? Remy jus' called you three times." He checked.

"Oh, Ah'm sahrry. Ah was talkin' to ya. Ah mean Head Ya." She explained quickly. Remy gave her an odd look and she surpressed a groan. "Ah just heard mahself say that..."

"Doesn' matter." Remy chuckled lightly. "So wha' were yo' talkin' abou'?"

"He was just helpn' me read the menu." She answered.

"Ahh, Remy wondered why yo' didn' ask for his help." He told her with another smile. Rogue gave a weak smile back but inwardly cringed. Note to self, stop acting like a nutter.

* * *

The rest of their lunch was actually quite nice. They talked and held hands across the table, the food was good and Rogue the the satisfaction of making their waitress slip on a patch of ice in revenge for blatantly flirting with Remy. Now, as Rogue finished off her dessert, Remy looked over the bill. After a while, he set it down and Rogue took a look herself. 

"Fifty-two dollars!" Rogue gasped in horror. "Fifty-two dollars for two meals and a paper thin slice of cheesecake? What a rip! Do you even have enough money with ya"

"Nope." Remy shrugged casually. Rogue's jaw dropped and stared aghast at him.

"Are ya kiddin'? What are we gonna do to pay?" She demanded urgently.

"We're not." He told her simply. Rogue could only stare at him silently for several seconds.

"...Pardon?" She finally managed to get out.

"We're not payin'. In fact," Remy said as he rose from his seat. "We're leavin' right now." He took Rogue hand, pulled her up and began to lead her out.

Rogue couldn't believe they were doing this. No, scratch that. She could believe Remy was doing it, she couldn't believe she was going along with it. She was so nervous she totally missed walking through the restraurant, totally missed the smile their waitress shot at Remy and totally missed leaving the restraurant. In fact, the next thing she knew, they were approaching Remy's bike. As always, he got on first and as Rogue started to get on, she saw three waiters heading towards them. Rogue's eyes widened anxiously, but before she could utter any warning to Remy, he'd already started the bike. Rogue quickly got on properly and held on tightly. They took off at such a speed that it caused them to jolt a little making Rogue yelp a cry of surprise.

When they were a safe distance away, the reality of what they had just done sunk into Rogue. The fact they had got away with it gave her a huge buzz and she felt a sudden bolt of energy ran through her. Having no other out-let for her energy on the back of a motorbike, she just burst out into thrilled laughter which continued on for the rest of the journey. Even when they reached their next destination, Joe's, she was still giggling.

"Afternoon Remy, Rogue." Joe greeted them cheerfully and loudly from behind the counter as the couple entered.

"Hey Joe." Remy returned as they got a little closer. Rogue could only give a small finger wave, her giggling preventing her from speaking.

"What's tickled her?" Joe questioned as they took their seats on two stools next to each other at that counter.

"Still comin' down from her first bill dodgin' adreniline rush." Remy explained with good humour.

"Ahh, I see." Joe nodded with an amused smile.

"It was so cool!" Rogue finally managed to get out.

"Just as long as you don't do it here. Speakin'a which; Remy, time to pay your tab." Joe grinned.

"Already?" Remy moaned.

"Yes, already. Now stop groaning and cough up." Joe ordered with good nature.

"How much?" Remy inquired reaching for his wallet in on of the inside pockets of his coat.

"Thirty-six forty-three." Joe revealed.

Rogue watched in amusement as Remy began to grumble under his breathe about over-pricing and wanting more warning next time, while he sorted out the money. After a while, she looked away and spotted a newspaper on the counter an arm's length away. She reached over and pulled it towards her to look at. She un-folded it and raised her eyebrows in surprise at the headline: CANADA INTRODUCES MUTANT PROTECTION LAWS.

"About time isn't it?" Joe said to her suddenly. Rogue looked up at the older man. "Now someone's been the first, others are bound to follow."

Rogue watched Joe leave to put his newly aquired money from Remy in the till before looking back down at the paper again. She couldn't help but wonder if any state in America would ever pass such laws.

* * *

I think I've made Joe kinda English. Does anyone else think that? I never intended to but he kinda has, hasn't he? Oh well. That thing about the new Candian laws was mentioned for a reason so make sure you remember it )  
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. I personally didn't think it was all that great but since the last time I said that you all disagreed, I'm probably being hard on myself lol.  
Catch ya'll next time :) 

Hugs  
Dream


	18. Chapter 18

Hi everyone :)

Who writes reviews? Lalalalalala. You write reviews! Lalalalalala. Who answers reviews? I answer reviews. (Sing to the tune of "Who wears short shorts?"):

killing belladonna is a VERY good thing:): 16-Lol, I love that name :D I agree with the killing Bobby thing. Don't ya just hate him?

willaj: Glad you liked the chapter so much and I hope you like this one just as much :)

ishandahalf: Lol, yes, yay for Canada indeedy. There was some lovely ROMYness in the chapter wasn't there? Won't be much of that over the next few chapters but that will just make you appreciate it all the more when it comes back :)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Yay, more excitement :) Here's a super snappy update for ya :)

chicita: Ooo, organised, I like it :) I never really saw the scarf pulling bit as kinky 'til now lol. And it's nice to hear that Joe's grown on ya :)

Freak87: I meant the teachers in that sentence as well. My thinking for why they'd be a bit wary was that it's such a sudden change for Rogue to go out with someone. I mean, yeah, there was with Bobby but they were friends before hand. As far as the teachers etc know, it's just some random guy with a cheesy pick up line and what with her skin and all, that would be weirdly out of character...And that's my reasoning O.o

LucreziaNoin86: You are very welcome for the ROMYness :)

Shaishe: Good to know :)

lauren: The teachers and Logan will find out about Remy before the end of the story but it won't be for a while yet.

CalliopeMused: That is true, they did introduce the law to allow homosexual marriages didn't they? I might just add that in somewhere in a future chapter. As for Marie's last name, even if that is wrong, it's a Hell of a lot better than the name I made up so I'm gonna use it :)

adrenaline addict: Glad to hear you enjoyed last chapter. I am trying to go for a bit of jealousy between the two Remy's as I think it's gonna contribute to the plot near the end. Plus, it'd be kinda cute :)

Friend to All: That's a good question about what would really happen. I think it would basically be the same though maybe there would be a few more obvious pro mutant groups. I know you probably didn't want an answer but I was thinking about it and I though, eh, might as well reply. You might be interested in my odd thoughts :)

hesquidor: Yes, so full of the yummy ROMYness :)

Elle457: Nutter and motorbike are English? I seriously didn't know that lol. Oh well, as long as it isn't taking away from the story at all :)

Karone Evertree: Good to hear you liked the giggly Rogue. I think everyone gets giggly sometimes and it's fun writing about it when they do :D

Anna: Don't worry, Joe isn't anit-mutant :) As for Roue's friends wanting to meet Rem, read this chapter :D

Pyromaniac: Glad to hear you're liking the story and hearing that you love the Beatles is an interesting siding :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Here's the update :)

texasgrrl: Lol, yes, love the typing job lol, sorry about your finger. Hope it feels better soon :)

Nicki: Yay, another person who likes Joe :) Nice to hear he doesn't bug ya or anything.

firestorm13: Good to hear you liked that as there's gonna be a whole lot more "shocks" coming everyones way :D

As always, may thanks for the reviews :)  
As only a grand total of one even mentioned Rogue's last name, I'm gonna assume it's not really common knowledge. So, that in mind, I'm gonna go with the last name that CalliopeMused told me mostly because it's a lot better than the one I made up. Therefore, it's disclaimer time:

I did not make up the last name which Rogue has in this story. Credit goes to CalliopeMused for telling me and I have no idea who originally made it up or if it really is the original. I just don't own it okay? So no sueing.

Right. This is it. Serious stuff starts here. Not too serious at first. Gotta ease myself into it. But this is the official beginning of not so many jokes, (though there will still be some) and more serious events. It had to happen sooner or later and it's happening now...(Ooooo, ominous :))  
Also, heads up for next chapter, the rating will be going up.

* * *

A week passed by without incident. Rogue and Remy continued to see each other everyday after school and spent most of the weekend together. Unfortunately, although nothing happened, the teachers were getting more curious/worried, Logan was getting more cranky and protective and Bobby was so full of jealousy and resentment, he was due to pop at any moment. Unknown to anyone, this was merely the calm before the storm and for Rogue, the beginning of the end of almost everything. 

Three days prior, the Professor had announced at dinner that there was a conference in Washington that required his presence. That also meant that most of the teachers were going as well, save for Kurt and Ororo who would stay to look after all the students. That revalation immediately made every studant uneasy. They remembered all too well what had happened the last time the majority of the teachers had gone away. The school had been raided by Striker. Although there was no reason for them to fear another raid, they still did, fearing the teacher's departure as a bad omen.

Moods had once again lightened though when word spread that there was going to be a carnival in town that weekend. Rogue, Kitty and Jubilee had decided at once to go on the Saturday afternoon. Rogue had awkwardly asked Bobby if he wanted to go along with them through guilt over how she knew she was making him feel. He had declined for some unknown reason however, claiming he was already going with some other friends. Rogue had merely nodded and smiled. That really did suit her perfectly.

So now, on that Saturday afternoon, it was just Rogue, Kitty and Jubilee together at the carnival. As they wandered around, they'd occassionaly spot other students and they'd wave and maybe have a short conversation but mostly it was just the three of them. They went on a few rides, had some candy floss, went on some more rides, had a toffee apple each and then went on another few rides. It was when they were heading towards the bumper cars that they made the worst, or best, decision they possibly could have.

"Hey look! A fortune teller!" Jubilee pointed out excitedly.

"Hey look. A crook." Kitty replied causing Rogue to laugh a little. Jubilee ignored Kitty's snide remark and latched onto Rogue's arm.

"C'mon, let's go in." She insisted as she pulled on Rogue.

"Ah dunno Jubes..." Rogue said un-surely.

"It'll be a laugh." Jubilee insisted. "You can check to see if you and Remy are destiny."

"You can't be serious." Kitty scoffed.

"Just because Richard dumped you last week..." Jubilee started to retort.

"You can talk. You're going on about destiny when Craig broke up with you on Thursday after weeks of you insisting it was destiny with you two." Kitty pointed out.

"Well, it obviously wasn't meant to be since it ended and so that just meant I didn't have to be upset." Jubilee shrugged.

"Right, that's why you spent that night crying your eyes out and using my blouse for a tissue." Kitty reminded. She stopped talking suddenly when she noticed Rogue no longer next to her. Looking around, she saw her heading towards the fortune teller's tent. "Rogue?" She called after her.

"Ah'm only goin' in to get awahy from you two." Rogue called back before disappearing into the tent.

Inside, Rogue found a middle-aged woman sitting behind a small, round table, a second chair just in front of Rogue. The table was covered with a purple satin sheet and a crystal ball rested in the centre. Further observation of the woman showed that she certainly looked the part as she was dressed like a gypsy; flowing material and sequins. The dark sunglasses which she wore kind of ruined the whole atmosphere though.

"Welcome Rogue. It's nice to finally meet you in reality." The woman said softly. Rogue frowned and went straight into defensive mode.

"Hah do ya know mah name?" She demanded suspiciously.

"The same way I know your real name is Marie D'Ancato, you're seventeen years old and have lived at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters since Magneto almost killed you after your mother forced you to leave your home upon discoveringyour mutation." The woman told her, a mysterious smile coming to her lips as she finished.

"What are you?" Rogue asked nervously.

"The same thing as you are my dear. A mutant. My name is Destiny and you have always been destined to visit me in this very tent at this very time." The woman explained. She paused. "Would you like to know more?" Rogue shuffled a little nervously before stepping forward and lowering herself onto the extra chair. "Since I haven't heard any footsteps, I'm guessing you do want to know more?"

"Oh, yeah, Ah do." Rogue confirmed. "Wait...If ya can see the future, hah comes ya didn't know Ah was gonna stay?"

"Because there are often different paths. You coming was a certainty. Whether you stayed or even believed me has never be clear." Destiny answered. "Now, would you like to know your future Rogue?"

"That depends whether it's good or naht." Rogue joked with a small laugh. Destiny simply remained still and silent. Rogue coughed nervously." Go raht ahead."

"I'm afraid your immediate future is not so bright my dear. Soon, trouble will find it's way to you and everything which you have spent so long to create will start to crumble around you." Destiny revealed grimly. "A certain sequence of events shall lead up to the final un-doing. Do you wish to be warned of these events?"

"Yes." Rogue replied instantly, suddenly not so doubtful or skeptical.

"A confrontation will lead to news of a death. That death shall cause a fight. The fight shall result in solitude. That solitude will protect you from the attack of those who want revenge. Only three will escape the attack. Those three will join with a fourth. Those four will go on a journey. The journey will take them to safety. That safety will be shattered by a loved one's past. That past will bring others to join you. Those others and another's jealousy will reveal a secret truth. It will be the revalation of this truth which will cause the breaking."

Rogue stared blankly at the woman in front of her. She had understood none of that and had already forgotten the beginning.

"I know that's a lot to take in," Destiny said after a long silence. "So I had it written down for you in easy note form." She smiled, pushing a slip of paper across the table to Rogue.

"Wow..." Rogue said as she took the bit of paper and gave it a quick look. "Ya think of everything don't ya?"

"No dear, I just see everything." Destiny said with a kind smile.

"So when exactly will all this happen?" Rogue questioned.

"Impossible to tell, for each ending has it's own path. The events can start at anytime, today or next year, and the time between the events could range from seconds to years." Destiny explained.

"So Ah just have to keep a sharp ahe then?" Rogue sighed.

"Basically, yes." Destiny nodded. "I wish you all the luck in the world Rogue and remember, you will never be alone through any of this. Others will always be suffering with you."

"And that's mean to make me feel better?" Rogue asked with forced playfulness as she rose from her seat.

"It may not be much, but at least it's something." Destiny pointed out." Goodbye Rogue."

"Bah Destiny...And thanks." Rogue replied with a slight smile before turning and leaving the tent.

Outside, Kitty and Jubilee were in the same spot Rogue had left them but were now just sitting and talking languidly. Rogue approached them slowly, stuffing the paper in her pocket as she did. She couldn't bring herself to tell them. It was all too weird. She'd talk to the Professor when he got back. He'd know what to do, he'd know whether it was real or not.

"How'd it go?" Jubilee asked enthustiastically when Rogue reached her and Kitty.

"Are you and Remy soul-mates?" Kitty asked sarcastically. For a second, Rogue struggled to make sense of Kitty's question. Then she remembered the reason she had originally gone in to have her fotune told.

"We're gonna get married, have loads'a kids and live happily ever after." Rogue told them jokingly. She earned small laughs from both of her friends which assured her that she'd got away with the lie. Her life seemed to be one long stream of lies now and she desperately hoped that whatever was going to happen next, it didn't expose her as a liar.

* * *

An hour or so passed and the three girls had basically exhausted all the fun there was to have. They had met up with Bobby at the bumper cars and since his friends wanted to stay on longer, he was going to tag along with them back to the school. As they walked out of the carnaval gates, they chatted about everything and nothing. It was while they were laughing at a stupid remark from Jubilee that Rogue looked across the street and saw Remy pull up to the curb on his motorbike. 

"Look! There's Remy!" Rogue gasped happily.

"Really?" Jubilee gasped with just as much excitement. "You have to introduce us!" She insisted, pulling on Rogue's sleeve.

"Remy!" Rogue called, waving to him with her free arm. Remy gave a small wave back and they all made their way over to each other, Bobby dragging behind a fair distance. When they reached each other, Rogue walked straight into Remy's open arms and they hugged tightly.

"Hey dhere chere." Remy greeted, placing his usual kiss on the top of her head.

"Hey yaself Swamp Rat." Rogue replied affectionately.

"Yo' wan' have dinner wit' Remy tonigh'?" He asked softly.

"Sounds lahke a plan to me." She agreed. Just then, Kitty purposely cleared her throat to bring them back to reality. "Oh yeah." Rogue said with a blush as she pulled away from Remy. "Remy, this is Kitty and Jubilee." She introduced, pointing to each in turn.

"It's nice to meet you." Kitty smiled politely, shaking Remy's fingerless-glove covered hand.

"So you're Remy." Jubilee grinned as she took her turn to shake his hand. "I never knew Rogue had such great taste." Rogue cringed in embarrassment as Jubilee spoke and Remy just grinned smugly in slight amusement.

"Glad yo' approve petite." He replied as they released each other's hand. A short pause ensued as Bobby came further forward.

"Oh...And, erm, this is Bahbby." Rogue said awkwardly. Remy looked at Bobby criticaly and it was obvious that he hwas biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smirking.

"Nice to meet yo' Bobby." He grinned, holding out his hand.

"Likewise." Bobby returned in a humourless tone, taking Remy's hand. "And call me Iceman." He said casually as he covered Remy's hand in a thin layer of ice. At this, Kitty shook her head, Jubilee's eyes lit up, Rogue cringed, Bobby smirked and Remy merely glanced down at their joined hands.

"Dhat's cute." Remy sneered, using his power to melt the ice covering his hand. "Dhat's really cute; but cute ain' got a place wit' dhe big boys." He continued as he stretched his fingers out and touched Bobby's wrist watch with his bare fingertips. Seconds later, Bobby let out ahissof pain and yanked his hand away. As he inspected his wrist, Kitty's eyes widened, Jubilee's jaw hung open in delight and Rogue had her face in her hand. Bobby glared up at Remy, who simply smirked back before speaking. "Go back to school Frostboy."

"Ooooooo..." Jubilee hummed, earning glares from Kitty and Rogue.

"Okay, Ah think we better get goin'." Rogue said un-easily, stepping between the two males. "After all, we don't wanna be late for dinner and it's already...Three thirty..." She ended lamely. Neither Remy or Bobby showed any sign of moving or breaking their glare. Rogue looked from Bobby to Remy before frowning and jabbing Remy in the side. He didn't look away from Bobby so Rogue jabbed him a lot harder. "Remy!"

Remy glanced at Rogue before quickly looking back at Bobby. Then, without warning, he gave a small shrug and stepped away from the younger male. Rogue let out a harsh sigh and continued to glare up at Remy.

"Ah'll see ya'll back at the school this evening." She told her three friends as she took hold of Remy's arm. "C'mon Remy." She insisted pointedly.

"Of course mon amour." Remy conceeded. He turned to the three teenagers. "Nice to meet yo' all." He told them sincerely before they teleported away from the area.

* * *

After Rogue had finished having a go at Remy for being such pathetic, macho, wanna-be-bad-boy, their evening together had been great. Remy accepted his telling off without fuss, knowing that "making up" was one of the best things ever, they had dinner and, best of all, Remy paid for the dinner and then after, they "made up" properly for several minutes. It was now coming up to nine o'clock and Rogue had just walked into the school. She hummed a tune from Oliver to herself cheerfully as she strode towards the stairs. Suddenly, the telephone over by the wall to her left began to ring.

"Phone!" Rogue yelled out to the school as she continued her way to her room.

"Could you get it please Rogue?" Ororo's voice rang clear from somewhere.

"Kay." Rogue replied, changing her direction to head to the phone. She reached it on it's fourth ring and picked up the reciever. "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." She greeted politely.

"Erm, haa. Can Ah speak to Marie D'Ancato please?" A young girl's voice meekly came down the line.

"This is her speakin'." Rogue answered with a light, confused frown.

"Marie? It's me, Evelyn." The voice said, sounding more confident this time.

"Eevee!" Rogue gasped, her eyes widening upon hearing the name of her six year old sister. "Oh mah Gahd, hah did ya know Ah was here?"

"Ah...Erm, Ah kinda hacked into the school's fahles." Evelyn answered shyly.

"What? Hah did ya manage that?" Rogue questioned. "Ya only six years old!"

"Six and a half!" Evelyn cried indignantly.

"Six, six and a half, same thing." Rogue muttered. "Don't go trahin' to change the subject missy..."

"Marie, Ah don't have tahme for this. Ah'm on a pahy phone..."

"A pahy phone? Whah are ya on a pahy phone?"

"'Cause Ah don't want Mama to see the number on the phone bill."

"Whah would she? Dahddy takes care of payin' all the bills and stuff still don't he?"

"That's actually whah Ah'm callin'...Marie? Ah'm afraid Ah've got some bad news..."

* * *

Ooooooo, Marie's got a little sister. Bet none of ya saw that coming! Mwahahahahahahahahaha!  
Anyways, there you have it. That was basically just telling you all the plot for the next twelve chapters. Anyone care to hazard a guess at the precise events? It'd be interesting to hear your theories.

Hugs  
Dream


	19. Chapter 19

Hi everyone :)

Are people still reading this line:

Farfallal: Purple mutant space monkies hmm?...I dunno, that might be kinda cool. I could start my own circus :D

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Here's the update :)

adrenaline addict: Lol, what would you have done when you were six and a half if you could hack into a computer that would be so different than if you could do it now? Excluding hacking into the local toy store's computer network and having all the toys shipped to their new location which just happened to be your house...:)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: I rock? Sweet:D As always, ASAP update just 'cause you asked :)

Freak87: Lmao, that made me laugh so much. Anyways, I am fully aware that they teleported even though Rogue never mentioned to Kitty and Jubilee that he's a teleporter. That will be confronted this chapter. No one knows about Rogue and her control just to clarify that for ya. The zombie theory was...Hilarious to say the least. Totally wrong, but still really fuuny :D

Elle457: Rating is going up because of language and violence but a part of me is considering upping the romance as well...We'll have to see how that goes. Maybe have a vote some time.

firestorm13: My chapter endings are cruel aren't they? I like writing cliffies though. They're suspenseful...If that's a word...O.o

ishandahalf: Glad you're finding the little twists along the way interesting rather than annoying lol. Hope this chapter satisfies some of your curiousity :)

Fire Spirit Vs Water Spirit: Ooo, cool name. Interesting guesses as to who Rogue gets into a fight with. Are ya right? You'll find out this chapter.

Nicki: Do not fear, for our dear Joe will not be killed. I'm kinda pleased that you didn't really expect the story to go that way. I hate being too predictable.

Friend to All: I'm glad to hear you liked the chapter. Continuing our discussion on the what if on real mutants, I don't reckon X-Men fans would be scared, I think we'd al lthink it was pretty damn sweet lol. I know I would :D

texasgrrl: Hmm, very interesting prediction there. Some parts were right, some parts were not so right and some were right but in the wrong place :)

chicita: No need to apologise for the scarf thing. Practically all my friends at school twist things so they're kinky so I'm used to it lol.

Karone Evertree: I'm the same with getting the giggles though it's usually only when I'm hyper. Glad to hear you liked the chapter :)

CalliopeMused: Interesting theory. You got some bits and other bits weren't right but I could see where you got the idea from and other bits were just like, I have no idea why you thought that lol. You'll just have to see which bits were right and wrong as the chapters go by :)

LucreziaNoin86: Great to hear you're enjoying it and here is my update :)

pyromaniac: I know. I'm so mean :)

BananaPanda: Yeah, that was one seriously long review :) Interesting though. Glad to hear your thoughts. I'm not telling anyone who guesses what bits they got right. All I will say, which is what seems to be the general case, some bits you've got right and other bits are not so right or just totally not right :)

hesquidor: I don't doubt that Rogue doesn't actually have a little sister, but that's what I love about fanfiction. You can make up mostly what you want, within reason obviously). Good to hear you appreciate the ROMYness though :)

silverbells: I wondered where you had gone off to :) Rogue teleporting in front of the others will be explained in this chapter. Hope ya like :)

Thankies for the reviews as usual. Ya'll keep me wanting to carry on :)  
Huge apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I've had so much school work to do plus this is like, a super long chapter and all of that piled up means longer waiting times. But, it's here now, so let's all just be happy hmm :)  
Here it is. The moment we've all been waiting for. The depressing chapter. Well...Having said that, it isn't really that depressing 'cause I just can't do angst well. It's just not my department. This is really about as angsty as I get so if it isn't depressing enough, then my stories aren't for you I guess.  
I would like to take the oppotunity to point out at this moment that I am not American and I'm crap at British Geography let alone that of a country I don't live in. So therefore I have no idea if it's possible to drive to Mississipi to New York in half a day. If it isn't, just use your imaginations :)

* * *

Numb. Stiff. Weak. All Ah could do was listen. No words could come from mah mahth. No tears would fall from mah ahes. All Ah could do was stand and listen to mah little sister tell me mah dahddy's dead. 

A car crash. She was in it too. Fahne though. Few cracked ribs. Whiplash. But fahne. Dahddy though...Two crushed legs. Broken ribs. Punctured lung. Fractured skull...Didn't dahe instantly though. Survived the operation to repair his lung. Woke up even. Dahed a day later...

She was there when he went. Got to say goodbah properly...That was a week ago. The funeral's tomorrah. Short notice but Ah don't care. Ah'll be there to say goodbah to mah dahddy.

She's run aht'a change. Has to go now. Okay. Bah...Bah...See ya tomorrah?...Yeah, see ya...And then she's gone...And Ah'm alone. The dial tone screams in mah ear but Ah can't move...

Rogue?...Mah name. Next to me...Storm. Who was on the phone? No one, wrong number. Then Ah'm moving. Reciever replaced, legs moving on their own. Up the stairs, down a corridor. Then another. Another. Another.

Mah room. Alone. Silent. Ah take mah phone aht of mah bag and dial the number Ah know bah heart...

Hello?...Remy...Ya kay chere?...No...Remy? Can Ah ask you a favour...

* * *

It was a lovely sunny morning. The heat was comfortable and the sky was blue and clear. It was a perfect contrast to Rogue's mood. Rogue saw clouds and shades of grey. Where the bright sun shone, she saw a dull orb's glow faulter. Where flowers loomed with bright colours, she saw them wither to a crinkly brown. 

Under the watch of a cheerful sun, Scott's "borrowed" Mercedies pulled up by the gates of a small church in Mississipi. Once it had slowed to a complete stop, the passenger door opened and Rogue stepped out, dressed in black from head to toe. Soon after, the driver's door opened and Remy slid out, his usual brown trench-coat replaced by a sleek black one and a pair of black sunglasses covering his eyes. He thought it was probably for the best not to make it too obvious that he was a mutant in front of a gathering of humans.

It had been a long, hot drive and Rogue had, had to use her teleportation more than a few times but at least she was there and she had an oppotunity to make peace with her father. Her mother she didn't care about, she just wanted to see her father one last time. Rogue smoothed her hair back and pulled the strap of her bag higher onto her shoulder, more to do something than anything else, as she moved around the car. When she reached Remy's side, she clasped her gloved hand in his.

"Thanks again for comin' with me." She said quietly as they made their way over to the entrance of the church grounds.

"Yo' don' have to t'ank Remy chere. He weren' gon' let yo' go t'rough dhis alone." He replied soothingly.

They fell into an easy silence and carried on slowly to the church. Rogue looked sadly at the other gravestones as they passed them, the whole situation feeling oddly surreal. As more of the church came into view, so did the shiney black cars of her father's family and friends. Her eyes continued roaming the grounds and she suddenly spotted a solitary bench over on her right. A small figure sat on the bench and Rogue instantly knew it had to be her sister. She and Remy altered their course to head over to the bench and when they were a metre or so away, the lone little girl turned around to look at them.

"Marie!" Evelyn gasped happily, leaping from the bench and running the short distance to Rogue and Remy. Rogue got down on one knee and caught her younger sister in a tight bear-hug. "Ah'm so glad ya came." She gushed, pulling away slightly. She looked Rogue over for a second critically before smiling again. "Ah lahke your hair."

Rogue looked at her little sister and noted the cute navy blue, long sleeved dress she wore with a white lace collar. She also noted that her sister hadn't really changed all that much. She was slightly taller than she was the last time Rogue had seen her but that was about it. Her hair was still fairly short, styled in a bob with the ends curling just under her jaw line. It was still the same colour, a lighter shade of Rogue's colour which would probably darken to the same as she grew older. Her eyes were young and wide, the green of her irises spattered with hazel flecks. However, they were neither puffy or bloodshot and Rogue wondered why the young girl showed no signs of having cried recently.

"Hah comes ya aht here all on ya own? Did the service get too much for ya?" Rogue inquired gently.

"No, Ah just wanted to wait for ya to get here. Ah've already said goodbah to Dahddy and Ah don't wanna sit through Mama spoutin' nothing but lies and b.s." Evelyn explained.

"Evelyn!" Rogue gasped in shocked horror.

"Oh c'mon Marie! Ya know as well as Ah do that Mama and Dahddy didn't love each other anymore." The young girl said, her tone a little chiding. "They've been on the brink of divorce for months nah."

"Even if that's true, which Ah'm sure it ain't, ya shouldn't speak abaht Mama lahke that." Rogue scolded.

"Whah? Becahse Ah'm young? Becahse Ah shouldn't be thinkin' abaht that kinda thing at mah age?" Evelyn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, and also, ya should show ya mama a bit of respect." Rogue told her sternly.

"Whah are ya defending her? She chucked ya aht with nothing because of something ya got no control ova. That woman don't deserve mah respect Marie and she definately don't deserve ya defendin' her." Rogue could only stare at the small girl in astonishment. Admittedly, she didn't know a lot of six year olds, but she was pretty sure that they weren't meant to be that smart or observant or bitter. Evelyn, apparantly bored with the conversation, looked up and took notice of Remy for the first time. "Are ya Marie's boyfriend?"

"Oh yeah. Eevee, this is Remy." Rogue introduced, sounding suddenly tired.

"It's nahce to meet ya." Evelyn smiled, holding her hand out to him. Remy smiled down at her and took her hand.

"Enchante petite cherie." He said, bending down and giving her knuckles a quick kiss. Evelyn's cheeks immediately burned a bright red and Rogue held back a laugh.

"Erm, well, Ah..." The young girl stammered as her hand was released and she quickly held it behind her back. "The, er, the service should finish soon. We should start makin' ah way to where Dahddy's grave is." She told them both, her voice returning to normal half-way through the sentance.

"Grave?" Rogue frowned. "Dahddy always said he wanted to be cremated."

"Trah tellin' that to Mama." Evelyn muttered as she took Rogue's gloved hand and began to lead her and Remy in the correct direction. "Ain't nothin' gonna stop her from gettin' her dramatic scene bah the grave. Ya wouldn't believe the fuss she kicked up this mornin' when she heard it was gonna be a nice, sunny day. She was hoping for wind and rain."

Rogue's frown darkened at her sister's revalation. Her mother was just totally disregarding her father's wishes. That wasn't only low it was just plain wrong. What right did she have? She set her mind on giving her mother a firm telling off when she eventually saw her. That idea was instantly forgotten the second Rogue saw her mother though, because she was following on behind six men in black who carried a coffin on their shoulders...Her father's coffin...She would've stopped dead in her tracks if it wasn't for Evelyn continuing to lead her on.

"Ah don't think Ah can do this." Rogue murmured as her father's open grave came into view.

"Yes ya can. We're raht here with ya." Evelyn told her confidently.

"Oui chere, your sister's righ'. And if yo' walk away now, yo' know yo' gon' regret it later." Remy pointed out, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Rogue let out a small sigh but said nothing more.

They reached the side of the hole in the ground Rogue's father was doomed to just as the coffin and the rest of the guests reached it. Rogue had kept her eyes down so far and when she eventually raised them, she found her mother staring at her. She wasn't scowling. She was too worried about her public image to frown openly at her own daughter. The stare was hard though, cold, almost accusing, silently saying, "you're just here to purposely mess things up aren't you?" Rogue didn't care though. Let her mother think what she wanted, just as long as she didn't start vocalising those thoughts.

The words of the priest were ignored, the handful of dirt was thrown in stifly and her eyes were glued onto the gaping hole at her feet. Evelyn clung to Rogue's arm though was strangely not crying. Remy's arm was around her shoulders, holding her securly to his side. Rogue watched the coffin slowly being covered by more and more dirt with a neutral expression. She wanted to cry, but her tears just wouldn't come out. She didn't know why she couldn't cry because they were there, they stung the backs of her eyes, but that was obviously where they were staying, the backs of her eyes.

Finally, the service ended and people began to leave. Soon, only Rogue, Remy and Evelyn remained. Rogue moved to the grave's headstone and knelt down beside it. After a moment of stillness, she pulled one of her gloves off and ran the now bare hand over the cold stone. She then gently leaned foward and gave the hard granite a soft kiss.

"Ah'll miss ya Dahddy." Rogue whispered heart-brokenly. She remained knelt beside it as she slowly pulled her glove back on. After, she carefully got to her feet and headed back over to Evelyn and Remy, walking straight into Remy's waiting arms. Remy simply held her silently for a while, Rogue taking comfort in Remy's warmth and scent. "We should really start heading back now." Rogue sighed eventually, pulling away from Remy's embrace.

"What? Already?" Evelyn cried forlornly. "Aren't ya even gonna come to the wake?"

"Ah don't think we'd be too welcomed." Rogue pointed out, noticing their mother watching them a small way off. Rogue got down on one knee again and pulled her address book and a pen out of her shoulder bag. "Listen, if ya ever need me for anything, Ah want ya to call me raht awahy." Rogue told Evelyn as she wrote her mobile phone number down on one of the pages in the small black book. After, she ripped it out and handed it to her sister. "That's mah cell number. Don't hesitate to call me."

"Kay." Evelyn agreed solemnly, taking the paper. Rogue gave her a weak smile and pulled the little girl into one last hug. "Don't be a stranger." She whispered sadly.

"Ah won't." Rogue assured. They both released each other and Rogue gave Evelyn's forehead a quick kiss through her fringe. "Catch ya later squirt." She grinned playfully.

"Catch ya later." Evelyn returned, a bright smile coming to her face. Rogue smiled at her for a little longer before standing up straight and, taking Remy's hand, slowly began to walk away.

"She's a mutant, isn' she." Remy more or less stated when they were some distance away.

"Yeah." Rogue confirmed sadly, her eyes staring un-seeing at the ground as they walked.

"And she knows it." He added solemnly.

"Think so..." She sighed. "Do ya think Ah should've brought her with us? Ah mean, do ya think she'll be all raht stayin' here?"

"Remy t'ink if she had wan'ed to come wit' us, she'd have jus' asked." Remy assured thoughtfully. "No doubt she'll come, but only when she's ready."

"Ah just hope she keeps safe and happy 'til then." She murmured as they left the church grounds. Just then, Rogue's phone started to ring from inside her bag. She released Remy's hand and stopped to fish the phone out while Remy continued on over to the car. "Hahllo?" She answered once she had freed the phone and brought it up to her ear.

"Hi Rogue, it's Kitty and Jubes." Kitty's voice replied.

"Hey Kit. What's up?" Rogue asked as she started towards the car again.

"Err, well, we just wanted to ask...Erm...Where are you?" Kitty settled for after a long moments hesitation.

"Oh for goodness sake!" Jubilee's voice came from the background. There was a few minutes of a muffled argument before sound returned properly. "Rogue?" Jubilee's voice came again, this time clearer meaning she obviously now had the phone. "Who is Remy?"

"What? Ya know who Remy is, ya met him yesterday." Rogue told her friend, her tone confused, as she got into the car. The mention of his name caught Remy's attention and they gave each other a quick look.

"Why didn't you tell us he was a teleporter?" Jubilee demanded.

"Ah dunno. Ah guess Ah just forgot. What's this abaht Jubies?" Rogue asked, starting to get annoyed.

"We think Remy is Gambit." Jubilee told her bluntly.

"Ya what?" Rogue gasped, unsure what to feel; annoyed or panicked.

"You heard me. Is he Gambit?"

"What the Hell makes ya think he is?"

"He's a teleporter, he's Cajun, you've supposedly only known him a week yet you bother looked pretty close when we saw you. You don't even like Kitty or me touching you..." Jubilee began to accuse.

"Ya know, Ah really ain't in the mood to listen to ya fucking immature bull shit!" Rogue yelled suddenly, totally snapping. "So screw the both of ya and leave me the Hell alone!" Having said that, Rogue used her borrowed magnetism to rip the phone apart and sent in flying out of the open window next to her. She sat there breathing heavily for a minute or so, willing herself to calm down. When she had relaxed somewhat, she glanced at Remy who was just watching her with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Ah totally over reacted just nah didn't Ah?" She said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, jus' a little bit." Remy agreed with a slight smile.

"Great." Rogue groaned, leaning back against her seat and running her hands through her hair. "Those two are gonna lay into me so hard when they next see me..."

"Don' bot'er yourself wit' dhat now chere." Remy advised her gently as he started the car. "Yo' go' more important t'ings goin' on at dhe moment."

"Yeah..." Rogue breathed sadly in reply as she let her head lull to the side. She watched neutrally as the scenery outside began to move and they headed home.

* * *

It was late. She wasn't sure how late exactly. It was dark at least. Most people seemed to have already gone to bed and those who were still up were dressed for bed. No one took much notice of her as she walked in through the front doors of the school after she had returned Scott's car to the garage. And why should they have taken any notice? As far as they all knew, nothing out of the ordinary was different. 

She made her way purposefully towards the stairs, intent on going to bed and staying there for at least the next twenty-four hours. No one told Tabitha about this intention though, (even if she had known she would've taken little notice of it), so just as Rogue was coming up to the stairs, Bam Bam intercepted. She walked straight into Rogue's path and then stopped, preventing Rogue from easily going any further. Rogue gave Tabitha a pointed look before shaking her head.

"Not nah." She sighed tiredly as she went to move around the other girl. "Maybe tomorrah."

"Going goth to repel people before they find out you're a freak?" Tabitha asked cooly, catching Rogue's arm and turning her around.

"Seriously, we're gonna do this?" Rogue replied, her tone bored. Tabitha only glared back. "All right then." She conceeded with a sigh. "Firstly, no Ah ain't goin' goth. The reason Ah'm wearin' all black is absolutely none of ya business. Secondly, the only people Ah'd ever want to repel are common little tarts lahke you. And thirdly, if Ah'm a freak then so are you. Ya're a mutant as well." With that, Rogue went to go again but was once again held back by Tabitha. "Let go." She ordered, her voice now reflecting her slipping patience. Just then, a passing student saw the two girls and beamed in excitement before running off to get others.

"If I'm a freak then you're a super freak." Tabitha shot back bitterly.

"Wow, that's mature." Rogue sneered as several students appeared by the entrance of the sitting room to watch the confrontation.

"It's true though." Tabitha sneered back. "You're a bigger freak than anyone else here."

"Ah have no tahme for this." Rogue grunted before she attempted to pull away. Half the school were now gathered, watching the two girls in nervous anticipation.

"Why don't you just suck me dry then?" Tabitha challenged, roughtly yanking Rogue back into position. "Can't bother you if I'm dead. Or are youtoo scared?" Rogue scowled darkly at the other girl and jerked her arm out of Tabitha's grip.

"Ah ain't scared." Rogue told her in a deathly low voice. "Ah just don't want a poisonus bitch lahke you insahde mah head." Rogue glared at Tabitha a moment longer before turning and heading up the stairs. As she did, Kitty, Jubilee and Bobby arrived at the scene. Tabitha never noticed though and still had one more ploy up her sleeve.

"I'm not surprised you're a bigger freak than anyone else here really. You've just gotta look at where you come from. You're parents were probably brother and sister. Everyone knows you Southerners are all inbred."

The crowd of students would've gasped at such a remark but they didn't have time. No sooner had the insult left Tabith'a evil lips though,than Rogue had leapt from the stairs with a furious scream and tackled Tabitha to the ground. Kitty, Jubilee and Bobby instantly ran over to seperate the two girls, mostly to prevent Rogue from getting herself into trouble, while a couple of the younger kids ran off to find Kurt and/or Ororo. Rogue thrashed violently against Kitty and Jubilee as they pulled her off of Tabitha. Bobby concentrated on keeping the seething Tabitha, now sporting a puffy eye and a fat lip, in place.

"Let me go!" Rogue screamed, struggling against the hold of her two friends. "Let me go! Ah'm gonna kill her! Ah'm gonna rip her fucking black heart raht aht of her chest!"

"Rogue, stop this!" Jubilee gasped, finding it hard to keep her hold. "She's not worth it!"

"Jubilee's right! Who cares what she says? We know it isn't true." Kitty pointed out. They were both ignored though and Rogue continued to try and free herself.

"What is going on here!" Ororo demanded as she and Kurt suddenly entered the school's entrance in whisps of black smoke, both looking suitably annoyed.

"That psycho just tried to kill me for no reason!" Tabitha accused, jerking her body to try and free herself from Bobby.

"You lahin' whore!" Rogue shouted, her efforts to free herself suddenly doubling. "Hah dare ya lah lahke that! Hah dare ya talk abaht mah dahddy lahke that!" She demanded, tears starting to fall from her eyes. Everyone remained completely silent, confused as to why Rogue had specified her father when the insult was really directed to both her parents. "Mah dahddy was a good person! He was a better person than you could ever hope to be!"

"Was?" Ororo repeated quietly.

"That's raht. Was. Past tense, just lahke him, 'cause mah dahddy's dead!" Rogue yelled angrily as she pulled away from Kitty and Jubilee who were too shocked to hold on anymore. "He dahed a week ago and his funeral was today. That's where Ah've been all day! That's whah Ah'm dressed in black! Ah was sayin' goodbah to mah dahddy. And Ah saw mah little sister, only to fahnd aht that she's a mutant as well." She paused and gave a bitter laugh. "Six years old. Six years old and she's already a God damn recognisable mutant! And ya know what else? Ah saw mah mama too. No warm reunion there though. No, just dirty looks for the mutant outcast of the family and...Mah dahddy...Mah poor, poor dahddy..."

The room remained horribly silent as Rogue crumbled to her knees and burst into tears. Heart-wrenching sobs shook her entire body as all the stress of the day escaped her.She hugged herself tightly as she slowly rocked up back and forth. Kitty and Jubilee stared down in slight fear, never having seen their friend so distraut before. They both suddenly felt really guilty for their call to her earlier and their bitching after she had hung up on them. Everyone stayed completely still until Ororo broke it and carefully moved over to the shaking form of Rogue. She knelt down beside the shuddering girl and went to hug her carefully. However, Rogue pulled away harshly and scrambled to her feet.

"Leave me alone!" She sobbed as she dashed up the stairs. When she knew she was out of sight, she teleported, re-entering in her bedroom.

Rogue stood in the middle of the room for several minutes, staring ahead of herself with haunted eyes and badly hyperventilating. Suddenly, she seemed to remember that she could do other things besides just breathing and staring. So, she clutched her head, fell to her knees and let out an anguished scream. She curled up into a ball and cried fitfully as she brought her hands away from her head and began tearing at her gloves for no real reason other than she wanted to destroy something. As if the whole situation wasn't bad enough, her head suddenly began to pound painfully.

A hoarse cry was the only sound which escaped Rogue this time and, unknown to her, a magnetic field pulsed out from her, locking her door and pushing anything metal away from her. A pathetic sob came from her as another pulse throbbed in her head. When a third one came not a second later, her body could no longer take it. Totally exhausted, she slumped forward, now unconscious.

* * *

Woah! A LOT happened in that chapter. Hope you all liked it. As always, feedback very much appreciated. Warning for next chapter, as this one was so long, the next will probably be a bit shorter than the usual size. Not saying that's for certain. I'm just saying it's a possibility.

Hugs  
Dream


	20. Chapter 20

Hi everyone :)

Random though of the day: Why did Wiley Coyote keep using Acme products? They never worked O.o :

janey: 17- Glad you're liking it all :) Logan hasn't smelt Remy on Rogue because she's been sure to shower the moment she comes in from being with him. I did mention that quickly in Chapter 15 I think and I just thought everyone would assume that she'd keep doing that. Very sorry if I didn't make it clear enough.  
18- Yep, life's like that. Everything goes from happy wonderful highs to not so happy, not so wonderful lows.  
19- Tabitha fighting Sabertooth...Interesting :D

silverbells: Aww, so understanding. I know "real" stuff should come first but that stuff's usually a Hell of a lot more boring than writing :)

Meraculas: Yep, you're doing well in keeping track of the prophect events. It'll get a little harder in future, (get it? The future? 'Cause I'm talking about the future of the story and you said...Oh forget it) as there'll be red-herrings as to when things will happen...If that makes sense lol :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. here's the update :)

HazleSilver: Ooo, new name. Nice :) I am a meanie aren't I:D

Elle457: Ooo, big compliments there :) I'm flattered you think so much of my writing. I would drop out of school but then my parents would make me get a job and that would mean I'd have even less time to write. So, good idea in theory but with parents like mine, it'd never work in real life :(

Freak87: I'm not sure if it's another Englis hthing then, but over here, the wake is the little gathering afterwards at someone's house. I looke dit up in the dictionary as well just to be sure...Maybe it can be both? Oh well, doesn't really matter I guess.

Chica De Los Ojos: No more little sister in person though there may be a phone conversation of two. Hope the update was fast enough for you :)

GottaLoveIt: Hey, you're new! Big welcomes to you and I'm glad to hear you're enjoying everything :)

Karone Evertree: My thinking behind Rogue's little sister obviously being a mutant was the fact that she was so smart and synical for a six year old. Tabitha won't be causing much more trouble anymore. Maybe the odd bit here and there but that was the only major reason I needed her.

CalliopeMused: May have been a short review but still a very nice one :) Glad you're liking it so much.

adrenaline addict: Did I seriously make you cry? Wow...I have to admit, my eyes watered when I was writing the last section but I thought that was just me being wimpy :)

ishandahalf: It was a sad chapter wasn't it? Things will cheer up again next chapter. This chapter isn't really happy or sad, it's more just action. Glad the prophecy is keeping you guessing, I hate it when people figure out my stories.

Nicki: Yes, they're reactions to the events will be interesting. Not sure if they'll be what people expect but definately interesting :)

texasgrrl: Rogue's sister's power is basically just being super telepathic so she knows everything because she reads it from other people's minds.

chicita: I like riddley prophesy things as well. Fun to solve, fun to annoy others with :)

LucreziaNoin86: You liked it? Aww! Big hugs for you :)

jade: Head Remy returns this very chapter :)

firestorm13: Glad you're liking everything and Remy lending his support...Well, he's a pretty awsome guy really :D

Coletterby: 18- Aww, that's so cute :)

Jen: I'm glad you liked it. Here's the next chapter for ya :)

Here we are at another chapter. Nice to hear we're all having fun :)  
Okay, question time! Yay...Cough...Anyways, a chapter or so ago, I was asked if, because the rating was going up, if the "romance" would also be intensified. And so, my idea was born. Just wondering how people would feel about some limey goodness or even a lemon? I'm willing to give it a go and the perfect place to have it is coming up in a chapter or so. If there are some of you who don't want it but some that do, I'd be more than happy to write te citrus stuff seperately and then e-mail it to whoever wants it. Let me know what you all want in your reviews kay?

* * *

Awareness hit Rogue like a sledgehammer. One moment she was in a magical land of her, Remy and touchable skin. The next, she was laying on the carpet in her room in a school filled with terrified screaming and someone furiously banging on her bedroom door. She pushed herself up onto her arms and blinked her heavy eyes into focus, her hand coming up to rub her aching forehead. Although all she could hear was screaming and running footsteps, it never really computed that something not right was happening until her door burst open with the sound of splintering wood. 

Rogue's head snapped up to see her door had been kicked in by two men in black army uniforms, armed with fairly big guns. Acting on her first instinct to run away, she scrambled to her feet and went to dodge past the two men. Unsurprisingly though, one grabbed her as she tried to run past and pinned her up against one of the bedroom walls. She hit the wall with an annoyed grunt and turned her head to the side so she could look over her shoulder at the man who held her.

"What the Hell is goin' on?" Rogue demanded as she began to try and free herself.

"Under the new Mutant Terror Laws, you are under arrest." The man informed her.

"Ah'm what?" Rogue gasped. Seconds later, she felt something being clipped aorund her neck. Having a bad feeling about where this was going, she teleported out of the soldier/policeman's hold and re-entered on the other side of the room. The two men seemed really shocked by this and instantly raised their guns. Rogue simply raised her arm and forced the guns out of their hands with her borrowed magnetism and sent them flying over to the other side of the room. Then, she ran over to the one closest to her and, intent on finding out what was going on, pressed her bare hand to his face...

But nothing! No pull, no memories, no sudden burst of energy. She was touching him skin-on-skin and nothing was happening. At any other time, Rogue would've jumped for joy, but at that moment, her body froze from fear and her eyes widened in terrified dread. Once again acting on the instinct to run, Rogue once again teleported, only this time, it was far away from her bedroom.

In fact, it was the middle of the kitchen she re-appeared in and her jaw instantly dropped at what she saw. The whole room was in disaray. The glass doors that led to the conservatory had been smashed in, (and looking past them she could see the conservatory was a mess as well) huge spires of ice were dotted around and the floor was littered with shards of broken plates. Rogue could only stand there dumbly as her brain tried to catch up and make some sort of sense of these sudden events.

"Maybe standin' in dhe open isn' dhe bes' t'ing to do righ' now chere." Head Remy's voice suddenly came.

"Oh yeah, raht." Rogue agreed silently before teleporting back upstairs to an empty corridor.

There were no sounds or signs to suggest anyone was dangerously closein her new surroundings so Rogue decided to continue on foot as her head was starting to ache in an all too familiar way. After a brief glance to her left, she quickly took off in a run to her right, but had taken no more than a few strides when she bashed into someone. The once silent corridor was suddenly filled with screams as Rogue and the one she bashed into flinched away fearfully and got ready to fight. It was only when they both opened their eyes that they realised who the other was. Rogue opened her eyes to see a very happy, pyjamas clad Jubilee in front of her.

"Rogue!" Jubilee cried joyfully as she threw herself into the other girl's arms.

"Are ya okay?" Rogue demanded urgently, hugging her friend back tightly in relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Fahne as well. Where's Kitty?"

"I'm here." Kitty's voice grunted moments before she trudged around a corner, irritably pulling on a metal band around her neck. "I see they got you as well." She noted upon spotting the same band around Rogue's neck. As Jubilee moved away, Rogue saw that she had one around her neck as well.

"What are these things?" Rogue asked quietly.

"Not sure, but they don't let us use our powers." Kitty answered. "Almost knocked myself out trying to run through a wall."

"Ya'll 'kay though raht?" Rogue checked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Kitty assured, waving her hand dismissively. "No thanks to the school's stupid security system though. Supposedly state of the art and this is the second raid in three months!" Kitty sounded like she was about to continue her rant when the sound of nearby shattering glass reached them. The three girls didn't even bother to turn and look before they bolted the opposite way.

"Who are these guys!" Rogue panted as the three girls unconsciously headed to the nearest hidden passage-way.

"God knows!" Kitty answered. "They've gotta be connected with the police though 'cause they told us we were under arrest."

"Same here." Rogue told her as they rounded a corner and came to the stairs. They sprinted down them quickly and jumped the last few steps before swinging sharply to the left and continuing to run. Soon they were in the corridor with the entrance to the passage-way in it. Realising where they were, Jubilee started to bang on the wooden panelling on the walls, trying to find the fake one. Rogue and Kitty started to help her but it was still Jubilee who found it in the end. She ushered Kitty in before ducking in after her and waiting for Rogue. However, when Jubilee looked up, she saw Rogue staring off in the direction they had just come.

"Rogue?" She said quietly, but was instantly shushed by Rogue. Unknown to her, Rogue was using Logan's enhanced hearing and she could hear that heavy footsteps were approaching them.

"Go on ahead." Rogue ordered.

"What?" Jubilee hissed.

"Don't worry, Ah'll catch ya up." Rogue assured. There was no way they could make it out if the footsteps were those of the soldiers/police which they probably were. And if they weren't, then they were other students and they needed to be brought along. Either way, they needed to be investigated and Rogue was the only one who was currently not completely defenseless. She had been able to teleport and use Logan's advanced senses with the collar aorund her neck so it obviously wasn't blocking her un-natural powers.

"I am not gonna leave you to..." Jubilee began to protest. She stopped speaking though when she saw the glare that Rogue was giving her. "Kitty's gonna kill you if you get hurt." She grumbled as she reluctantly slunk into the tunnel and pulled the panel back across. Rogue smiled gently after her friend before dashing back down the corridor.

"Haven' yo' ever heard dhat little sayin' "be as dhe frog in dhe pond"?" Head Remy suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah, but the frahg never had to worry abaht the flah huntin' it dahn and killin' it." Rogue pointed out as she slowed to a stop by a corner. She carefully peered around it and saw three armed men. "What d'ya reckon Ah should do?" She asked silently.

"Ge' dhe guns away from dhem before any'ting." Head Remy advised. "Dhen make sure dhey're not able to follow yo'."

"Well Ah know that much. Ah meant what should Ah do exactly." She grumbled.

"Improvise." Head Remy instructed, knowing full well he wasn't being very helpful. Rogue couldn't be bothered asking him again. She took in a deep, preparing breath before moving around the corner slowly, not wanting to be seen unitl the very last moment she could get away with. She concentrated intently on the three guns in the mens' hands and, using her hand to guide them, quickly flung them to the side and into the shadows. The three men were immediately on their guard and looked aorund themselves suspiciously. Then, before you could say "dumb move Rogue", Rogue was out of the shadows, standing in full view of the men and bringing Head Scott forward. Her eyes began to tingle, then itch, then burn and then everything was red.

The wide, red beam which shot from Rogue's eyes hit all three men square in the stomach/side/back, (depending on which way they were facing) andwere sent flying back into a wall. Unfortunately, Rogue had been unaware of the back-lash effect of the power. So, the moment the lasers left her eyes, she was pushed back herself and, as she was totally unprepared, ended up falling to the floorboards, banging her head badly when she hit them. She allowed herself all of five seconds to recover and get back on her feet before running off while the men were still trying to gather their senses.

"Whah did that happen?" Rogue asked Head Remy, annoyed at something but not sure what.

"Yo' can' expect somet'ing that powerful not to cause a back-lash effec' chere." Head Remy pointed out.

"Whah don't it ever happen to Scott then?"

"'Cause Cyclops knows to brace himself for it." He told her as Rogue swung around a corner, holding onto the wall to steady herself. She was now back in the corridor where the entrance to the passage-way was again. She kicked the right panel loose then slid it back with her foot as she pressed her hand flat against the wall and copied the trick Bobby had used last time; using his borrowed ice to form a thick wall. Once she was satisfied it was thick enough to cause the men sufficiant trouble in breaking it down, she removed her hand and slipped into the tunnel, pulling the panel back as she did.

Rogue hurried down the dim, concrete passage and it wasn't long before she found Kitty and Jubilee leaning against a wall each. Rogue glared at them both, silently scolding them for waiting for her. They both just looked back with raised eyebrows and a look that said, "you didn't seriously expect us to actually go without you". No words were said but the matter was resolved none the less. Rogue shook her head as she reached her two friends and they took a hand of hers each so they ran down the corridor in a chain. Soon, they had reached the end of the tunnel and had climbled up into the garage above.

"Which one should we take?" Jubilee panted as they hurried through the rows of vehicles.

"This one'll do." Rogue replied, coming to stop by the black Mercedies.

"Ooo, can I drive?" Jubilee asked, reaching for the door handle.

"I am not getting into this car if she's driving." Kitty insisted, hesitating as she began to open the door of the front passenger seat.

"That settles that then." Rogue said simply, gently batting Jubilee's hand away so she could open the door to the driver's seat herself. Jubilee pouted a little but didn't argue as she moved back and got into the back passenger seat as Kitty and Rogue got in the front. Theysimultaneously pulled their seat belts on and then paused...

"We don't have the key." Kitty stated tiredly. Rogue gave a groan and let her head fall back against the chair. The key was back in the school.

"Don't suppose either of you know how to hot-wire a car." Jubilee joked, trying to lighten the mood and inadvertantly giving Rogue an idea. Remy knew how to hot-wire cars, he could hot-wire anything. Hell, he could probably even hot-wire a plane. So, if Remy knew how to, Head Remy knew how to and therefore, Rogue knew how to. She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward to get to work.

"What are you doing?" Kitty asked as Rogue managed to find the right wires with Head Remy's help.

"What does it look lahke Ah'm doin'?" Rogue murmured distractedly, trying to concentrate on what she was doing while listening to Head Remy's instructions and paying attention to anything Kitty and Jubilee might say.

"Where did you learn to hot-wire a car?" Jubilee inquired in awe.

"Remy taht me." Rogue replied quietly. An awkward silence took over as the memory of Kitty and Jubilee's phone call from earlier came back. The silence was only broken when the sound of the engine starting came.

"Rogue...About earlier..." Jubilee started.

"Both buckled up?" Rogue interrupted, her tone distrubingly neutral. Jubilee let out her breath in a small puff and gave Kitty a sad look when she turned to look at her.

Rogue didn't wait for Kitty or Jubilee to answer. She pressed her foot down on the exceleration pedal.

* * *

Is that a cliffy? I don't think it is but some might think it is.  
Apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I think writer's block is starting to set in because I really struggled with this chapter. Maybe it was just a one off. Oh well, here's hoping it is.  
Catch ya'll next time.  
Hugs  
Dream 


	21. Chapter 21

Hi everyone :)

Random recipe of the day; strawberry icecream with crushed white chocolate :P

HazleSilver: Fear not, for Remy returns in this very chapter.

silverbells: I know what you mean by the less than perfect chapter. Like I said, I really struggled with that one. The sudden compusure of Rogue is significant and will have an effect on the events of this chapter but it'll be later on when it really counts. It won't be just yet or even that soon but it will have a significant effect later on. Anyways, I hope this chapter is better. I, again, am not too keen on it but that might just be me.

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Here's the update :)

ishandahalf: Ooo, alone time with Remy, (drools).

Elle457: You ask for Real Remy, you shall recieve Real Remy :)

Clotterby: Yes, but if you come after me with a large knife, then how can I even finish the story? HAHA! YOU DID NOT THINK OF THAT DID YOU!...Sorry, got a little over excited :)

Freak87: I did the jump from last chapter to this chapter on purpose. Thought I'd try one of those techniques you learn about in English that famous writers use but I guess I didn't do it too well :) This chapter was set a few hours at the most after the last chapter so it's still the night time of the same day so no, no one would've had time to ask her about it.

adrenaline addict: The X-Men are always being picked on aren't they? It's a good thing they're more than able to pick back...O.o

CalliopeMused: You've never heard about the frog in the pond? Hmmm, interesting...Oh well. What's happened to the others is told in this chapter a little and more will be revealed as the chapters go on.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: The teachers, (excluding Kurt and Ororo) are with Xavier in Washington at the conferance. I did mention it in chapter 18 case you didn't pick it up.

texasgrrl: Logan and most of the other teachers are away at the conferance in Washington as I said in chapter 18.

chicita: I hate girly-wimp Rogue. She really bugs me. Everyone will find out eventually but not for a while yet.

jade: You reckon it was a cliffy? Hmm...Fair enough I suppose. Glad you liked everything though :)

firestorm13: Do ya mean with the collar on? I was going on the theory that because they're not part of her DNA, the collar wouldn't pick up on them. But I'm not a scientist so that might not make any sense at all :)

janey: The fates of everyone else will be revealed over the next few chapters. I'm struggling through the writer's block. I'm very stubborn :)

Karone Evertree: Glad you liked it. Lime/lemon refers to stories with more adult romantic content, lime being the less detailed stuff and lemon being full on description.

LucreziaNoin86: Glad to hear you're liking all the little touches. Hope you like this chapter just as much :)

Faerie Childe: Aww, cute name! Glad you're liking it :)

Friend to All: 19- Isn't that always the way? I believe that's called sod's law lol, (God I hope that isn't just an English expression otherwise I'll have probably just totally confused you)  
20- Thank you for the encouragement and to answer your question, "the boss" returns this very chapter for a brief while :)

DemonicGambit: Lol, yeah, they really should. Hope you enjoy the update.

Thankies for the reviews. Very interesting thoughts as always :)  
Many, many, many apologies for how late this chapter is. The writer's block has well and truely set in and I found this chapter a huge struggle. I've done my best for it but, as is probably obvious, this isn't one of my best chapters. Still, I hope none of you are too disappointed.  
It is official. The lemon is wanted by the majority and, as much as I hate it, the majority have to be listened to, (by that, I don't mean I hate having to write the lemon, I hate how the majority is listened to. I prefer the minority though I'm not listening to them now because I wanna write the lemon :D). So, the lemon is coming soon...Not sure how soon though. Could be next chapter or the next or the next...Probably won't be after that. So, sometime within the next 3 or 4 chapters I'd say.

* * *

Captured. Everyone captured. Thrity students and two teachers, all handcuffed and collared. Unknown to the captors though, the school was home to thirty-three students and seven teachers.

The grim quiet which surrounded them was suddenly completely and utterly shattered by a black Mercedies skidding around the side of the school into everyone's view. All eyes were immediately on the dark vehicle as it sped to go right past the cluster of trucks, cars and vans and instead escape safely through the front gates...

* * *

"Rogue! The gates are shut!" Jubilee cried in dismay, leaning forward from the back seat of the car.

"Thank ya Jubilee, for stating the obvious!" Rogue replied, her eyes not moving from their hard stare at the outside world ahead.

"Maybe we should find another way out then." Jubilee suggested desperately.

"You know there isn't another way out." Kitty reminded, turning her head slightly to look at her friend. "Now sit back before you get hurt." She ordered, turning her head back to look out the window ahead at the vehicles they were fast approaching, some of which held their friends captive. Jubilee muttered a few choice words under her breath but did as she was asked and slumped back down on her seat. "You're not seriously gonna try and break through the gates are you?" Kitty questioned Rogue quietly enough so Jubilee couldn't hear.

"Ah know what Ah'm doin'." Rogue assured simply.

"All right." Kitty murmured, her tone grimly excepting.

As they approached the shut gates, Rogue began to concentrate as hard as she could on them, trying to force the bars to break with Magneto's power. However, they weren't breaking fast enough and by the time they were about a foot away, the bars were only slightly bent. Jubilee's scream filled the car and Kitty had covered her face with her hands, un-able to bring herself to look at the solid barrior they were about to hit. Acting through pure desperation and not thinking it out properly, Rogue used Kitty's power to phase them through the gate while she was still using her borrowed magnetism.

Pain rushed from Rogue's head and quickly consumed her whole body. The combined sounds of teenage screams and buckling metal easily drowned out her small pained gasp. She lowered her head, her eyes screwing shut in pain, and clutched the steering wheel tightly. But then, all of a sudden, the pain was gone and the familiar calming sensation that meant Head Remy was helping her took over. Rogue sent a silent thank you to him but got no reply. She didn't mind. She just figured he was too busy at that moment. She quickly opened her eyes and raised her head to see they were now in the street outside the school. Glancing at the rearview mirror, Rogue saw that the bars of the gate looked convincingly mangled.

"We're aht!" She gasped happily.

"You mean we actually got out alive!" Jubilee gasped in disbelief, her head shooting up and twisting around to look out of the back window.

"Why didn't I feel any impact?" Kitty mused curiously.

"Who cares! I'm just glad we got out alive!" Jubilee laughed in relief, turning back and slouching back heavily against the seat. Rogue let out a relieved sigh and released her death hold on the steering wheel. Her heart rate slowed and she allowed herself to relax slightly...And then she saw that they were being chased by three of the trucks they had seen before.

"Shit." Rogue groaned, her body tensing again as she leaned forward slightly. Kitty, having seen Rogue glance at the mirror, checked the side mirror to see the vehicles in hot pursuit of them. Jubilee, after seeing nothing ahead of them, twisted back around to look out the back window again.

"Oh c'mon!" Jubilee yelled in exasperation. She turned back and sighed. "Now what do we do?"

"Ah'm open to suggestions." Rogue murmured distractedly as she turned a corner sharply. No one spoke for several moments as each girl thought.

"We need to dump the car." Kitty spoke suddenly. "Then we'll need somewhere we can lay low for a while."

"Ooo, I know somewhere that'd be good for that." Jubilee said, leaning forward so that her head was between Kitty's and Rogue's shoulders. "There's an old run down factory not too far away. We can dump the car there and then there'll be plenty of covering to sneak away un-noticed."

"Ah dunno you guys...Ah don't feel raht abaht just dumpin' Cyclop's car." Rogue protested. Suddenly, the sound of gun shots reached them, causing Rogue and Kitty to wince and Jubilee to squeal fearfully. "On second thoughts, let's just go with your plan." Rogue agreed quickly.

"Good. Right, so where's the factory Jubes?" Kitty inquired, watching the road intently. A long pause. "Jubes?"

"Umm..." Jubilee hummed nervously, moving back to sit in her seat properly.

"Ah thaht ya knew where it was?" Rogue cried in frustration.

"I do know where it is!" Jubilee insisted indignantly. "I just don't know the exact location. I know the route though. Just follow my directions."

"Why don't we just pull over and let them arrest us now? It's save some time." Kitty muttered sarcastically.

"Don't be so negative." Jubilee scolded. "Have a little faith in me."

"Experience has taught me that it's usually safer not to."

"Safer!"

"Oops, sorry, did I say safer? I meant saner!"

"Jubilee! Which way am I going here?" Rogue interrupted the argument suddenly.

"What? Oh. Head into town. I know my way from there." Jubilee instructed. Rogue went to do as she was told and prepared to turn left. However, as she did so, Kitty noticed something on the road ahead that Rogue didn't; a stinger.

"Turn, turn, turn!" Kitty cried desperately, throwing herself at the wheel and turning it sharply. The car skidded 180 degrees, only narrowly missing the row of metal spikes. When they stopped spinning and came to a halt, Rogue took a moment to glare at Kitty. "You're welcome." Kitty said sarcastically. Rogue's glare only hardened but she said nothing to retaliate.

"What nah?" She asked irritably as she roughly put the car into gear.

"Go straight ahead. We can take the main road route." Kitty answered. Rogue nodded and sent them shooting off in the right direction. At the speed they were going, it didn't take them long to reach the main road which would take them into town. They were still being pursued by several army trucks and now also a couple of cars had joined the chase as well. They really couldn't afford to slow down for anything so that meant swirving dangerously around cars and running red lights.

"You know, it's ironic; we ran away because we were innocent but now we actually deserve to be arrested." Jubilee mused as Rogue swirved another car and the honking of a car horn faded into the distance. "It's kinda funny really."

"Oh yeah, it's frickin hysterical." Kitty muttered tiredly, making sure to keep her eyes on the road.

"I know the way now!" Jubilee exclaimed suddenly, totally ignoring Kitty's hurtful words and tone. "We need to go right."

"Kay." Rogue breathed, quickly turning right.

"Wait! What are you doing? I said go right!" Jubilee protested as they turned.

"This is right." Rogue told her.

"I meant my right!" Jubilee cried.

"Jubes, we're all facing the same direction. We all have the same right!" Kitty pointed out angrily.

"Oh...We should've turned left then." Jubilee corrected herself awkwardly.

"For crahin' aht lahd!" Rogue yelled furiously.

"Turn here." Kitty advised, pointing to the right. "We can double back."

"Fahne." Rogue grunted irritably in reply as she turned again.

"God Jubilee, how old are you and you don't even know your left from your right!" Kitty scowled at their friend as though she was a young child.

"Well excuse me for making one little mistake when we're driving at a thousand miles an hour on a crowded road because we're on the run from the cops!" Jubilee retorted angrily. "I'm sorry I can't be as perfect as you and Rogue are but I'm not a heartless ice queen!"

"Yeah, and you'll probably get us killed because of it!" Kitty shouted back.

"Will ya both just shut the Hell up!" Rogue yelled, joining the argument.

The car was suddenly filled with yelled accusations and angry insults and none of the girls were paying any attention to where they were going. After one particularly harsh comment from Jubilee to Kitty, Kitty turned herself back to face the front of the car. Rogue was looking around the side of her seat to better yell at Jubilee, only one hand on the wheel. Looking up, Kitty saw that they were headed straight for the corner of a building.

"Rogue!" Kitty cried urgently, her hands coming up to cover her mouth in horror.

"What?" Rogue gasped, taken aback by Kitty's tone, as she whipped back round to face the road ahead. She saw the on coming brick and all three girls let out frightened screams as Rogue stomped her foot down on the break pedal. For a few, heart stopping seconds, reality was a chorus of screeching breaks and frightened screams. Then it suddenly came to a head with the impact of collision, the sound of metal being crushed and the rapid hiss of inflating airbags. Then it was over.The three girls sat silent, stiff and opened mouthed, still trying to recover from the surprise and make sense of the past few blurry seconds. It wasn't for a couple of minutes that Kitty remembered their situation and regained her senses.

"You guys okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Rogue replied, still sounding shocked and dazed.

"I'm alive if that's what you mean." Jubilee answered, trying to sound grumpy but failing and instead sounding suitably shaken.

"Good, then we need to get moving again." Kitty ordered, un-buckling her seatbelt and opening the door next to her. Rogue and Jubilee wordlessly copied her and left the car.

Once outside, they hurried away from the car and stood some way off. They found themselves just staring at the mangled vehicle, wondering wha they should do next rather than continuing to run away as Kitty had quite rightly suggested. They weren't given very long to think though, before three of the army trucks came into view to their side, coming at them down the road they themselves had just raced down.

No breath was wasted on words before the girls darted away in the opposite direction. Rogue and Jubilee were faster than Kitty and she found herself lagging behind slightly. She tried to pick up her pace but it was no use, she couldn't go any faster than she already was. Just as she was about to call out and ask Rogue and Jubilee to wait for her, three sharp pricks stung Kitty's neck. Her call came out as a weak, squeaky gasp and she fell heavily to the hard road beneath. They're attention summoned by Kitty's gasp, Rogue and Jubilee glanced over their shoulders to see Kitty laying completely still on the road a few feet behind them.

"Kitty!" Jubilee cried, skidding to a halt and then heading back towards her fallen friend. Rogue did the same and reached Kitty just as Jubilee took hold of her shoulders and sat the unconscious body up. Rogue knelt besdie her two friends and began to frantically search for anything which would account for Kitty's sudden sleep.

Then she spotted them; three small metal cylinders sticking out of the back of Kitty's neck. Rogue pulled them out sharply and glanced at them with Jubilee before throwing them away in disgust. Jubilee looked back down at Kitty while Rogue looked behind them to see that the trucks had stopped and soldiers were now pouring out onto the street. The sound of screeching tires behind her caused Rogue to turn again. More trucks were coming. They were boxed in...Trapped.

To her side, Jubilee suddenly gasped and slumped down next to Kitty on the road. Rogue instantly spotted the three cylinders in Jubilee's neck as the girl's hair slid away. She quickly pulled them out as she had done so for Kitty. Now only wanting to save herself and her friends for now at least, Rogue took a hold on both Kitty's and Jubilee's arms. Seconds later, the three had vanished from the area just as three tranquilisers hit the spot where Rogue had just been kneeling.

* * *

It was either really late or really early. Either way, it was no time to be awake, let alone fumbling around for the light switch in the dark while some psycho beats down your door with a battering ram. Fingers finally found the small button attatched to the wall. Light flooded throughout a stylish sitting room and revealed a very tired Remy standing at the door way of his bedroom, his eyes squinted to protect them from the sudden brightness. His hair was a dishevelled mess and his bare shoulders were slumped tiredly. His eyes had opened a little and were unfocused but still effectively conveyed his irritation at being woken so rudely and at such an hour. Dressed only in a pair of black pyjamas bottoms, Remy made his way over to his front door, all the while muttering French curses under his breath.

The banging grew louder as Remy got closer to the door. When he reached it, he threw it open, fully prepared to start yelling at whatever nutter it was. However he wasn't prepared for who it actually was. Standing in front of him was an exhausted Rogue, struggling to support her two unconscious friends. Remy could do nothing but stare at her in amazed horror as he noticed she was visibly shaking.

"Ah'm sahrry." She breathed shakily. "But Ah didn't know where else to go."

"No..." Remy murmured, breaking out of his shocked stupor. "No, don' apologise. C'mon, come in." He said, taking Jubilee from Rogue and then ushering her inside quickly. He shut the door firmly behind them.

* * *

"Ah need everyone available here nah!...No, this can't wait!...Because we're losing control that's whah!...Don't be difficult! Look, she's over exerted herself and she ain't got any time to recover...Get here and help!...Ya her friend! D'ya really wanna see her turn into a mindless pile of sludge?...What d'ya mean it ain't ya problem? Of course it's ya problem!...Don't ya dare cut me off! Don't ya dare...That bastard cut me off!"

"Excuse me."

"What?"

"We're here to help."

"Oh thank Gahd. It's abaht tahme someone came. Okay, exits one through eight are reasonably secure so Ah'll need ya to go support nahne and ten."

"Aye aye captain!"

...

"Idiots."

* * *

Okay, if you just totally don't get that last section, don't worry about it. You're not really meant to get it yet. It's one of those things where it makes sense once you know the end. I like trying new ideas and I thought I'd try this out, see if it works or not.

Hugs  
Dream


	22. Chapter 22

Hi everyone :)

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? O.o :

chicita: Glad you're liking my version of Kitty. The bit at the end was the mystery person and could it be the first person she ever absorbed? You'll have to wait 'til the very end to find out :D

ishandahalf: More you say? You want more? Weeeeelllll, I think that can be arranged for you :)

Freak87: That first line was mean, you had me worried :( But then I realised you liked it and now I'm happy again :) The bit at the end was to do with the voice in Rogue's head, well done :)

IvyZoe: You liked the chapter? Aww, big hugs! (big hug). As for your questions, they're answered in this chapter. Except for the one about the voice. That's not answered until the end :D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Aww, you liked the chapter too? That means you deserve an extra big hug! (absolutely massive hug)

jade: That's what writer's block does for ya. Bad chapters that come out slowly. Can't help that I'm afraid.

Elle457: I think it's very safe to assume that the collar will affect Rogue and Remy's non-physical relationship, coughlemoncough :D

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it. Here's the next :)

LucreziaNoin86: Glad I brightened up your night or morning, whatever you wanna call it :) I'm also glad you liked the chapter and I hope this one entertains you just as much :)

HazleSilver: That's a shame because he won't be in it a whole lot for a while. Sorry.

CalliopeMused: I hate morning people as well. It just isn't natural to be so alert and happy first thing in the morning. Anyways, glad you're liking everything so far. Hope you approve of this chapter as well :)

Keirin-Sama: Glad you're liking the story :)

firestorm13: Head Remy is...Dealing with issues. We won't be hearing anything directly from him for a while. He will return though, nearer the end.

Karone Evertree: I kinda had Kitty ask that question when she wondered why they hadn't felt any impact but Jubilee just dismissed it. So yes, high school girl, (joins in the shaking of heads).

Anna: Could've been worse. They could've crashed a Porche :D I'm happy to hear you're still enjoying everything. As for your questions, they will be answered in future chapters. I would tell ya now, but that would ruin the surprise :)

Wiccangurl: 17- Coolies about being Wiccan. I am too :) Anyways, glad you're back :)  
21- I'm trying to write chapters as fast as I can. Kinda hard with writer's bloch though :(

Friend to All: Glad you liked everything. You're right about the end bit being about "the boss" but your other guess about the identity of "the boss"...Well, I'm not gonna say whether you were right or wrong :D

Coletterby: Ooo, pixie faeries O.o Preeeeeetty...

DemonicGambit: And you will know what happens...Right at the very end of the story :D And topless Remy. Well, it just had to be done :D

MatureImmaturity: Welcome to the story and I'm glad to hear you're liking everything so far :)

As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed. Feedback is always appreciated :)Okay, latest chapter is here. I'm not sure how I feel about this one...Part of me quite likes it while the other bit doesn't...It's very complicated -.-  
Okay, due to several factors, one of which being that I couldn't be bothered to, this story will not contain a full on lemon scene. It will however, contain yummy citrus/lime which will start this chapter. I may do some more at a later stage in the story but I'll have to think about how to add that in. But anyways, the main point of all this rambling, this chapter contains adult themes and MAJOR suggestions of activities done when the camera's turned off. If you don't like that kinda thing, please just skip that section. Thank you for taking the time to read this paragraph of drivel :D

* * *

Rogue sat stiffly on Remy's clean white sofa, leaned forward so her elbows were rested on her knees. The last hour had passed quickly. She had tried to explain what had happened to Remy straight away but there had been too much to do. She had got bits out like that the school had been raided, that they were the only ones who got out, thather skin was safe to touch and the other basic need to know stuff. Other than that, everything still needed to be explained, to Rogue as well. She had no idea what had really happened, only Kitty and Jubilee did and they were still unconscious, tucked into the double bed in Remy's spare room together. Remy himself was in the kitchen making tea or coffee or something like that. 

Rogue's body still shook slightly but she wasn't sure why. She was no longer afraid and neither did she feel particularly tired. Yet still she shook and she couldn't control it. Bringing her hand up to her head, she let out a shuddered sigh. She hunched her shoulders over and buried her face in her raised hand. The sound of the 24 hour news channel was only a background noise for Rogue, her hearing swamped with the yelling and shouting of the voices in her head. Pained cries echoed throughout her being and orders she didn't understand rang in her ears, struggling to be heard above everything else;

"We need more support over here!...Just keep them back!"

She didn't know what was going on. She didn't know why she could hear all she could. She didn't know why Head Remy wasn't helping her. In particular she wished she knew that because then she'd know how to feel; worried for herself, worried for Head Remy or angry at Head Remy for not getting off his psyche arse and helping her.

Suddenly, the pressure of someone's hand came down on her shoulder and Rogue, forgetting where she was, flinched away violently. Her head shot up and her eyes met with those of Remy, soft and understanding. Rogue let out a frustrated breath at herself and let herself relax again.

"Li'l jumpy hmm?" Remy said softly as he set down a steaming mug on the coffee table at Rogue's knee. He sat down heavily next to her and looked at her closely for a while before speaking. "So...Yo' wan' tell Remy wha' happened?"

"Ah don't even know what happened." Rogue answered quietly. "One second Ah'd passed aht and the next, mah bedroom door was being kicked in bah two men in black army uniforms."

"Are dhey dhe ones who put dhe collars on yo' all?" Remy inquired. Rogue gave a small nod but said nothing. Remy sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders then pulled her to his side in a hug. "Everyt'ings gon' be okay now cherie." He assured her, his fingers coming up to run through her hair. "Remy not gon' let anyt'ing else happen to yo'. You're safe wit' Remy chere."

"Ah don't get whah they came anyway." Rogue murmured sadly against his shoulder, her hair shielding it from her bare cheek even though it was no longer a danger at that moment. "The government know abaht us. They know abaht the jet, they know we're just school students. Whah did they feel the need to come arrest all of us?"

"Yo' right. Don' make sense." Remy agreed.

"And whah did it have to happen when the Professor and most of the other teachers are still awah at that conferance in Washington? Was it planned that way? Is there even a conferance at all? Was it all just a trap?" Rogue asked rehtorically, her voice getting louder with each question.

"Hey, hey, calm down kay?" Remy soothed gently.

"Ah'm sahrry." Rogue whispered meekly, her tone tearful. "Ah don't mean to get angry. Ah just wish Ah knew..."

"Remy know. It's okay." He said calmy, his bare fingers softly brushing against her cheek; their first skin on skin contact ever. This action wasn't lost on Rogue and she pulled away slightly to look at Remy face on.

Remy's fingers stopped their slow movement and his hands came to rest at Rogue's side and cupping Rogue's cheek. Rogue couldn't speak or move, though she really had no intention of moving anyway, as Remy slowly drew closer to her. This was it; her first real kiss with Remy. However, just when the contact would've been made at any second, sudden bolts of fear and apprehension shot through her body and then knotted themselves in her stomach. Rogue pulled away sharply, letting out a small gasp as she did. The movement jogged Remy's hand away from her cheek. He stared at her in justified confusion and Rogue, who was oddly no longer afraid in the least, could only stare back in horrified embarassment. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally got some words to come out.

"Ah'm gonna go check on Kitty and Jubilee." She blurted out speedily, practically jumping from the sofa and running to the guest room, leaving Remy staring after her, bewildered.

Once inside the spare bedroom, Rogue slammed the door shut before leaning back against it and opening her mouth in a silent scream of frustration. What the Hell had that been about? One second she was happily ready to kiss Remy and the next she was terrified at the thought. Why had she been so scared? Was it justnerves? Was the whole situation a little too intense?No...That couldn't be it.Looking back,as soon as Remy had sat down beside her, the voices in her head had dulled to a faint murmer and she had felt a little calmer. Then, the moment she had pulled away, they returned to the volume they had been previously. Once again, as seemed to be the case now, there was one voice which yelled above all the others;

"What the Hell d'ya think ya doin'? It's easier to maintain the blocks when she's distracted! We were actually pullin' ahead but then you go with ya stupid jealous stunt and fuck it all up again! Ah can't ignore this ya know. It's gonna be harder to cope withaht ya but Ah can't risk something lahke that happenin'..."

Rogue shut her eyes tightly and shook her head as if trying to shake the voices away. She felt herself start to tremble again and her legs turned jelly-like. On un-steady feet, she staggered over to the bed Kitty and Jubilee lay on. She slumped down next to Jubilee and took a moment to just look at her two friends before she leaned closer to them and checked thier pulses. They were there, just as strong and vibrant as always. Letting out a small relieved breath, Rogue let her fingers trail down Jubilee's cotton covered arm. She stopped hesitantly when she reached the cuff.

Why did she hesitate though? It was safe to touch her skin. She already had when they were escaping the school. But that had been different. She had been scared. She hadn't been thinking about it. She was thinking about it now though. She thought as she gently fingered the fabric of Jubilee's cuff. She had been thinking when she had been with Remy...Or had she? Had she been thinking about it with Remy? No...No she hadn't. Not until she had suddenly felt afraid.

Rogue lightly patted Jubilee's covered wrist before bringing her hands to her own lap and shifting her body so she was facing the door. She couldn't help but wonder; if she hadn't freaked and run away, if she and Remy had carried on, how far would they have gone? Would they have kept themselves in check and stopped before they went too far? Or would they have gone all the way? And if they had, would that have really been such a terrible thing? No, when she really thought about it, she didn't think it would. In fact, the more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed.

It made sense really. What were the odds that she'd ever have this oppotunity again? No chance of being disturbed for at least a few hours and her powers were blocked without risk of un-expectedly coming back. This was the perfect time right? Of course it was, she didn't even have to really think...But was she really ready to take such a huge step? Sure, why not? Go for it! But then again, maybe she should think about it for a bit...She didn't need to think! She just had to go ahead and do it. A look of determination came to Rogue's face and she stiffly got to her feet. She puposefully headed to the door and upon reaching it, yanked it open quickly...

...And then froze. Remy was standing behind the sofa, in profile to her, with his phone held up to his ear. Remy was on the phone? Remy being on the phone wasn't part of the plan! The plan was to just pounce on him.She couldn't do that now he was on the phone though! What if it was important? And she couldn't just ask because that would totally ruin the element of surprise and the spontaneity of it. It was no use now. The moment had passed and she'd lost her nerve. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She went to slip back inside the room but her movement caught Remy's attention. He turned to look at her and held his hand up in a still wave, acknowledging the fact he'd seen her. Rogue awkwardly raised her own hand, biting her lip lightly, knowing that she couldn't go back and gather her courage again. She slowly moved further into the room, catching what Remy was saying on the phone.

"So do yo' t'ink yo' can make it over?" He asked as Rogue shuffled to the sofa and sat down carefully. "Dhat's great! T'ank yo' so much mon ami...Mmmhmm...Okay...Remy see yo' later dhen kay?...Okay, bye." The conversation ended there and Remy hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Rogue inquired mostly to just test how her voice was sounding. It turned out to be nervous and wobbly.

"Jus' a friend o' Remy's. He's gon' come 'round as soon as possible to get dhe collars of yo' an' dhe ot'ers." Remy explained to her as he came and sat beside her, though a respectable distance away. Rogue noticed his distance and immediately felt downheartened. She hurt his feelings...

"Oh..." Rogue replied un-surely after a short pause. She stared at the carpet and shifted awkwardly. "He's taking them off of all of us?"

"Oui."

"All three of us...Including me?"

"Oui...Dhat a problem chere?" Remy asked. Rogue said nothing but a vivid blush coloured her cheeks and told him everything that needed to be said. Still, he didn't want to take his assumptions for granted. "Yo' got ot'er plans hmm?"

"Well...Ah...It's just that..." Rogue stammered nervously, her gaze never straying from the carpet. "Well, we maht never get anotha chance lahke this again..."

"Dhat's not really dhe bes' reason chere." Remy pointed out.

"Ain't it?" Rogue exclaimed, finally looking up at him. "What if control ain't possible? What if this is the one tahme for the rest of mah lahfe that I can touch? What if this is the only chance we've got to...Do it, withaht havin' to worry abaht somethin' goin' wrong? Maybe this will be the only tahme ya get to be able to touch me anywhere ya want, the only tahme ya can touch me withaht gettin' the lahfe sucked aht of ya..." She trailed off sadly though she kept her gaze on him.

"So...Yo' basically wanna do dhis because yo' t'ink Remy won' be satisfied wit' no real contact." Remy checked, his tone giving no hint as to what he was thinking or feeling. Rogue remained silent. "Non, Remy still don' t'ink dhat's dhe bes' reason."

"But Remy..." Rogue began to try and justify.

"No Marie. Remy's listened to your reasoning now yo' gon' listen to his." He interrupted quickly. "Goin' further jus' for me isn't a good enough reason and it's completely un-neccessary. Remy's aun' Venessa had a sayin'; "What ifs and maybes seldom are." Every single reason yo' jus' gave were t'ings dhat migh' no' even happen. If dhey did happen dhough, we'd fin' a way aroun' dhem 'cause I ain' gon' give up on yo' Marie. I don't care if yo' can never be touched again ever. Jus' as long as you're close enough for me to touch t'rough layers, I'll be happy."

Rogue stared at Remy for several seconds after he had finished his little speech. No other words were spoken through this time and Remy began to silently wonder what was going to happen next. Then, without any warning, Rogue practically leapt onto his lap, her lips instantly connecting with his. Remy was so stunned that for several moments he found himself kissing her back without thought. When he finally found his thoughts again though, he gently pushed and held Rogue a safe distance away.

"Marie..." He started to ask but stopped when Rogue brought her fingers up to press against his lips.

"If everything ya just said was true, then Ah know that this is the raht thing to do." She told him confidently though in a hushed voice, as if speaking normally would shatter the perfection of the situation.

That was enough for Remy. He was now completely sure that Rogue was completely sure. He needed no more reassurance. So, he wordlessly captured her lips in a softer kiss than before and gently helped her alter her position on his lap so she was staddling him. The kiss they shared gradually grew in intensity and Remy eventually felt it was time to take things a little further. Slowly, he reached his tongue out and lazily grazed it across Rogue's sealed lips. It was all the encouragement Rogue appeared to need as she almost immediately parted her lips for him. Remy slowly slipped his tongue into her mouth, making sure to go pace himself, partly to help ease Rogue into everything and partly to give himself the time to memorise every single curve and dip in her mouth.

While Remy was intent on pacing himself, Rogue was impatient for more. Her head felt pleasantly light and a warm buzz was starting to flow through her body. She knew that Remy was intentionally going slow for her sake and she appreciate the though. However, her whole being was crying out for more and Remy's hands seemed to be glued respectfully on her hips. She didn't really want to break their kiss, she was enjoying it too much, so instead of voicing her desires she opted instead for taking things further herself. Tentitavely, she ran her fingers up Remy's bare arms and tangled them in his hair when they reached his head. Then, feeling ever bolder, she rose up straighter and tilted Remy's head back so she could deepen the kiss herself and have a little more of the over all control of things. Remy was surprised at Rogue's sudden bold shift, but he was in no way disappointed. In fact, he was thrilled in more ways than one.

Feeling the intensity in which Rogue's tongue was now battling away with his own, Remy decided it was probably a good time to move them into his bedroom. This in mind, he ran his hands down from Rogue's hips, letting them trail down her thighs until he was satisfied with their placement. Then, in one fluid motion, he stood up, holding Rogue up to him with his hands under her thighs. Rogue gave a girlish squeal into the kiss, feeling incrediably sexy at that moment. Then, she pulled away suddenly and began to laugh when Remy lightly squeezed her left thigh.

"That tickled!" She laughed as she leaned back into his embrace and locked her legs around his lower torsos.

"Good. It was mean' to." Remy replied playfully as they left the sitting room behind and entered Remy's bedroom.

Remy's left hand momentarily left Rogue's thigh to flick the light switch off in the sitting room and then on in the bedroom. With that done, his hand returned to her thigh. Then, he went to kick the door shut with his foot just as Rogue decided it was a good time to start nibbling on his ear. The cold tingly feeling rushed through him instantly and he wobbled to keep his balance on one foot much to Rogue's amusement. She burst out laughing right next to Remy's ear causing him to wince at the piercing sting which resulted. This only seemed to fuel her laughter and she dropped her head to the crook of his neck, bursting into fresh laughter as she did so.

Remy wasn't sure whether to feel pleased or annoyed with Rogue's laughing. On the one hand, it assured him that she wans't feeling awkward or seriously ncomfortable. On the other hand though, she was laughing at his expense. After regaining his balance fairly quickly, Remy strode over to his bed and simply dropped Rogue onto it. She cried out through her laughter as she hit the mattress and bounced once or twice. However, her laughter abruptly stopped when she felt the bed dip from Remy's weight and his presence hovering over her.

Rogue opened her eyes to find Remy's face mere centimetres from her own. All humour now gone, Rogue levered herself up and began to press hot, wet kissed to his lips, each one lasting only a few seconds before she pulled away, only to return an instant later. After a while, she stopped this and instead resumed the deep heated kiss they has shared only moments before. As the intensity of the kiss grew, Rogue brought her hands up to her chest and quickly began to un-do the buttons of her blouse. Once she had her shirt fully open, she arched up and shrugged if off before laying back fully, pulling Remy down on top of her.

The sensation of their bare stomachs touching was amazing for Rogue and sparked off hundreds of desires for her. She wanted more. More skin, more contact, more sensations, more everything. She clasped her hands with Remy's and them them to her chest and the black lace bra that she wore. When Remy's hand grazed the material, he pulled back from the kiss to look at Rogue.

"Sure you're positive chere?" He checked, his voice low and husky.

"Yes, nah would yatake off mah damn bra!" Rogue shot back, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

"Ahh, so you're one of dhose filles who ge' moody when dhey turned on hmm?" Remy teased. Rogue raised an eyebrow and he wordlessly grinned down at her before sealing her lips in another kiss and reaching behind her back...

* * *

The sound of someone knocking on a door somewhere stirred Rogue from her peaceful sleep. She gave a small groan as she became more alert and slowly opened her eyes. They moved up to look at the window on the other side of the room. The sun was only just rising; she couldn't have been asleep for very long. Turning her head, Rogue looked over her shoulder and saw the peaceful sleeping face of Remy right behind her. Images of their activities just as few hours ago caused her to blush and a small smile to spread across her lips. Last night had been so far beyond amazing and her sore muscles would prove as a constant reminder of it for the rest of the day no doubt.

Rogue had every intention of curling up and going back to some much needed sleep, but another knock reminded her of why she woke up in the first place. Now she was more awake, she could identify the sound as coming from the sitting room. It was most likely to be that friend of Remy's who he had spoken to on the night before. Rogue took another look at the sleeping Remy before deciding there was no need for both of them to have to be awake. So, she slowly got out from under the bed-sheets after she had carefully disentangled herself from Remy's arms. Knowing she didn't have enough time to get fully dressed and spying Remy's pyjamas shirt resting on a nearby chair, she simply slipped her underwear back on before pulling the over-sized shirt on. Rogue left the bedroom silently, turning the light off as she passed the switch. She lightly padded her way across the sitting room and over to the front door. Without even thinking about who it could possibly be or how she was dressed, Rogue unhooked the chain and opened the door.

"Morning there Rogue." A cheerful voice greeted her once the door was fully open.

"Joe?" Rogue said through a yawn as she looked up to see the familiar face her her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help." He answered as he came inside, tapping the collar around Rogue's neck as he passed her.

Before Rogue could let out so much as an "oh", the door to the guest bedroom flew open and Kitty and Jubilee came bursting out, both yelling questions and demands for knowledge. Each drowned out the other and Rogue couldn't hear either well enough to even begin to try and answer them. Then, Remy, obviously deciding it was time to get up shortly after Rogue had, emerged from his bedroom. All eyes moved to him for a moment.

"You!" Kitty and Jubilee yelled accusingly as if he had just burst out of the room brandishing 52 charged cards instead of looking like the walking dead. Remy didn't even bother to acknowledge the two girls. He just went over to Rogue, kissed her lightly on her cheek before making a bee-line to the kitchen. Kitty and Jubilee looked over to Rogue like she had done something terrible by bringing her to Remy's place. Rogue could only smile weakly and say;

"Ya'll fancy some breakfast?"

* * *

There...Soooo...What do we think? Good? Not so good? Oh my God, why are you still continuing with this crap? Let me know :)

Hugs  
Dream


	23. Chapter 23

Hi everyone :)

26 review e-mails all at once...Wow... :

Freak87: Yes, this chapter is full of answered questions of various kinds. You're right in presuming the voice was the one that's in "charge" and it was head Remy it was telling off :) And I think you're intentionally saying the voice is a she because you're trying to lure me into a trap to get me to admit the gender of the voice. You don't fool me for a second! I'M ONTO YOU!

CalliopeMused: Have to disagree with you there; you can NEVER have too much sugar :D, (bet ya though I was gonna say something serious there lol :D)

ishandahalf: Yes, the ROMYness is always a nice way to spend a chapter :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it :)

stinky-chan: Lol. I'll leave that to your imagination I think :)

IvyZoe: Glad you liked it;  
1) The person speaking is a secret, (as always :D) the accusation was directed at Head Remy, he was the reason she got suddenly scared.  
2) Kitty and Jubilee still believe that Remy is a baddie because they think that he "kidnapped" Rogue remember?  
3) That'll be explained in this chapter :)  
4) Here's some more :D

LucreziaNoin86: Wonderful you say? Aww, thank you :)

adrenaline addict: A great update you say? Yay:D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Kitty and Jubilee still think that Remy is a bad guy as they think he intentionally kidnapped Rogue, remember?

Elle457: Lol, I'm truely honoured that you're liking everything so much. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint :)

BananaPanda: Ahh yes, I imagine Remy looks good no matter what state of conscious or semi-conscious state he's in :D

Kou Shun'u: 1 - Yes, that could happen. Will it though? Well, I'm sure by the time you read this, you'll know lol.  
4 - I'm not saying who the voice is. It'll spoil the ending :D  
9 - I like how you quote your favourite bits :) I like knowing stuff like that.  
10 - Glad you're liking everything so far :)  
11 - Glad to hear it :)  
14 - Lol, someone reading that as fart never even accured to me as a possibility :D  
15 - I got Bam Bam from the X-Men Evolution series.  
16 - Lol, choking on it :D  
17 - In the original cartoons, Remy calls Rogue Marie on several episodes so I went with that and I agree dodging bills is wrong. It's just another form of stealing.  
18 - Rogue has brothers?  
19 - Gambit refered to himself as Gambit in front of Storm and Nightcrawler when he had "kidnapped" Rogue.  
20 - That is an idea, though since I don't know the original cartoon/comics that well, it's not what's gonna happen :)

texasgrrl: Glad everything was good for ya :) Hope this one is as well.

chicita: The reason Rogue will have her collar off will be explained in this chapter.

firestorm13: Yes, there's gonna be some huge ROMY moments coming up more often now :D

GottaLoveIt: I can assure you that no one is dead. Other than that, you'll have to wait and see :D

Tara: Well I'm glad that you're glad lol :) Hope this update didn't keep you waiting for too long.

Meraculas: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Hope the update has come fast enough :)

IISGREAT: Wow, a cookie! Thankies :) Two cookies you say? Then I'd have three cookies :D

Wiccangurl: Yep, me to, for a year and a half now :) Anyways, glad you like the chapter and don't worry about the writer's block. It's getting better...Kinda -.-

janey: 21 - Ahh yes, a plan. They'll have a plan all right, (knowing snigger) :D  
22 - I did mention them. Rogue says, and I quote, "And whah did it have to happen when the Professor and most of the other teachers are still awah at that conferance in Washington?" There, you see? He and the others were mentioned.

Erena G.T Rose: Here's some more :)

Coletterby: Your favourite story at the moment? Aww, that's soooooo nice :D

Friend to All: I'm glad you're liking everything so much and, as always, thank you so much for all your encouragement. It means a lot to me :)

Anna: Yeah, I'm glad I didn't go for the full on sex scene. I reckon it would've chased a lot of people off and one really would've been un-needed.

sakura5tar: I'm glad you're liking everything I'm doing so far. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint at all :)

Karone Evertree: Glad you liked it. As for Rogue keeping her collar on, that's resolved in this very chapter.

Aliesha: Super awsome? Why, thank you :)

So very many apologies for the lateness of this chapter. Writer's block holds me back and although I try to struggle on, sometimes I get distracted. Plus, I've had exams recently so I've been busying revising and all that stuff. But still, once again, very many sorries.  
Wow...That has got to be the shortest beginning message of the story so far. I can't believe I have nothing to say...Oh well...You might as well go ahead and read the story then O.o

* * *

In the end, not much breakfast was actually eaten, as the majority of the time everybody was speaking every five seconds. Rogue had started the explanations off by telling Kitty and Jubilee everything about Remy. Well, everything except for the existence of Head Remy and the fact Remy wasn't a teleporter, she was. Yes, everything would've made a Hell of a lot more sense if she had told them everything and, when she had started, she'd had every intention to. However, when she went to speak the words, different words came out. Instead of telling the truth, she told more lies. Why was this? She didn't know. The words came out without her controlling them and the shock of saying something she hadn't meant to lasted only a few seconds before it faded to a memory. She didn't know why. 

Once Rogue's explanation was finished, she offered to answer any questions either of her friends might've had. Neither Kitty or Jubilee asked anything straight away but after a short pause to think, Jubilee came up with something. Rogue had actually expected a sensible, relavent to the situation question from her friend. Instead, she was asked through giggles what she and Remy had been getting up to while she and Kitty had been unconscious. At that point, Rogue had blushed brightly and quickly excused herself from the table, claiming to have only just remembered that she hadn't showered for a couple of days and therefore, needed to have one right away.

Rogue had spent a ridiculous amount of time in the bathroom, not really over-joyed with having to face Jubilee's knowingly embarrassing questions but eventually, once she had dressed in a pain-stakingly long amount of time, she rejoined the others who were now gathered in the sitting room. Joe was leaned in close to Kitty on the sofa while he fiddled with the collar around her neck, Jubilee was sitting on the floor by Kitty's feet, slouched back against the base of the sofa and flicking through the channels on the TV andRemy sat in an arm chair on his own, reading a newspaper.

"Feelin' better for dhe shower chere?" Remy inquired, not looking up from his paper, as Rogue moved further into the sitting room.

"Yeah, Ah am thanks." Rogue assured after a second of hesitation to see if Jubilee was going to rise to the bait and point out how long she had taken.

As she went to go past the chair that Remy was sitting in, his hand shot out from behind the newspaper and grabbed hold of her wrist. Rogue giggled out a squeal as Remy pulled her towards him. When the backs of her knees hit the arm of the chair, she fell back onto Remy's lap. Remy then proceeded to nuzzle her neck while his arms wrapped around her in a tight bear hug. Rogue lovingly nuzzled him back and then she caught sight of the newspaper.

"Sugah, ya do realise that this is yesterdays paper raht?" She murmured to him in an amused tone.

"Oui, Remy knows. He was jus' usin' it to lure his cherie into a false sense of security." He grinned back teasingly.

"Uh huh, sure ya were." Rogue replied in a disbelieving tone. Remy gave her cheek a quick kiss before he leaned down as far as he could and pulled something out from under the arm chair.

"Here yo' go." He said as he handed her a familiar pastic bag.

"Mah pencils!" Rogue said happily, remembering the bag as being the all elusive shopping bag from the day she had first heard Head Remy. "Better late then never Swamp Raht." She told him as she leaned in and rubbed her nose against Remy's before sealing his lips in a sweet kiss.

"Uck, get a room." Kitty grunted, her gaze seemingly fixed to stare at the corner of the near by coffee table.

"Remy and his chere go' a room, yo' jus' happen to be in it." Remy pointed out as he began to nuzzle Rogue's neck again.

"Stop being such a grump Kitty." Jubilee chided, still staring intently at the TV screen.

"I'm not being a grump." Kitty muttered, tilting her head further to the side at Joe's gently insistence.

"You are so being a grump." Jubilee replied with a grin.

"Am not!" Kitty insisted irritably.

"Are to!"

"Am not!"

"Okay, not that this ain't a riveting conversation, but there are better things we could be talkin' abaht." Rogue quickly interrupted.

"Like what?" Jubilee asked skeptically, continuing to flip the channels.

"Lahke what's happened to us and hah it happened." Rogue told her seriously.

"Do we have to? I'm in a good mood." Jubilee sighed.

"Then go back to TV land and the rest of us will face reality." Kitty muttered somewhat bitterly. Jubilee didn't reply and simply continued her task of flicking. Kitty shook her head a little before speaking again. "When you ran up to your room, we all decided to just leave you alone, figuring you'd wanna have some time to think, what with all that had happened to you. Gradually, everyone started to go to bed and after a while, it was just myself, Jubilee, Bobby, that kid...Tony I think, and what's her name? Erm...Amara, that's it. Bobby was in the kitchen getting ice-cream when we heard the sound of shattering glass and Bobby's cry of surprise. We all ran to the kitchen and they were all there. Loads of them, all dressed in black, all carrying guns. We all just ran on instinct, I grabbed Jubes' arm and phased us through the nearest wall to us. We were grabbed the moment we re-entered on the other side. The collars were on before we really knew what was happening and then we were told we were being arrested. Before they could handcuff us though, Kurt came and began to fight them off us. Once we'd broken free again, we bolted. I fully intended running as far away from the school as possible but then Jubilee pointed out that you were on your own so we detoured upstairs to fetch you and the rest you know obviously, because, well, you were there."

"So they just suddenly appeared from nowhere?" Rogue asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Kitty confirmed. "Didn't hear or see a thing until they smashed in the conservatory and then they were suddenly everywhere."

"There." Joe said suddenly as he pulled the collar apart and removed it from Kitty's neck. Kitty raised her hand to rub soothingly at the red band the collar had left behind. After she had done that, she phased the same hand through the seat of the sofa beside her as if just to make sure she still could. "Well, that's my job done. Guess I better be off now." He said as he rose to his feet.

"T'anks so much for dhe help mon ami." Remy said as he got to his feet once Rogue had slid off his lap and then proceeded to get herself tangled up in the newspaper he had been reading.

"Just glad I could." Joe smiled cheerfully as he took Remy's hand in a warm handshake. "Let me know if you need anything more. I'm in the same place as always."

"Hey look! The school's on the TV." Jubilee suddenly gasped in surprise. All eyes were immediately on the TV screen and all voices were silenced as they began to listen to the report on the 24 hour news channel:

"...Live, who are suspected to haveransacked the largest diamond and jewellery store in New York last night. Although the culprits escaped before the authorities could arrive, they have been identified from the security camera footage which was taken. The two suspects have been named as Remy LeBeau and a girl only known as Rogue, both mutants from the Westchester area." With that, the security camera footage came up on the screen as the news reader continued talking. Sure enough, there was the fuzzy, though still painfully clear, image ofRogue and Remy phasing through the wall of the jewellery store and then proceeding to fill bags with jewels which Rogue retrieved by phasing her hand through the glass display cases they were housed in.

"That ain't me!" Rogue cried in disbelief.

"Duh Rogue." Jubilee droned.

"Sure looks like you though." Kitty mused.

"Hah...Hah is this even possible?" Rogue asked no one in particular, leaning forward to bury her face in her hands. The room went quiet again except for the voice of the newsreader.

"Last night, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, a well known institute for young mutants, was stormed in order to arrest all those involved in the robbery. However, despite most of the mutants being arrested, the two main suspects and another two fugitives remained elusive. Experts in the area of mutants say..."

"That's whah they came? They came to arrest me because they think Ah broke into some jewellery store!" Rogue cried in disbelief.

"If they only wanted you, then why did they feel the need to arrest all of us?" Jubilee cried indignantly.

"Maybe they think we were all involved in the robbery." Kitty suggested through a sigh. "Well, at least we know what's going on now. It's something."

"I think I prefered not knowing." Jubilee grumbled as she got to her feet and began to wander around the room, suddenly restless.

"Well, what d'ya think we should do nah?" Rogue asked quietly.

"We can't leave the apartment. We should lay low for a while." Kitty replied, her tone over-controlled.

"But what good will that do?" Rogue questioned innocently.

"I don't know!" Kitty snapped irritably. "But it's a better idea than going out there!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Jubilee said from over by the window on the other side of the room. "Those army guys from last night are outside."

In a matter of seconds after Jubilee had said that, everyone had gathered around the window to look. There, down on the street, was one of the army trucks from the previous night. They watched as the front passenger door opened and a man dressed in the familiar black combat gear walked around the front of the truck and begat to talk to whoever was in the driver's seat.

"You don't think they know we're here do you?" Jubilee asked in a hushed voice as if the soldier on the street below could hear her.

"No way. How could they?" Kitty answered with a frown. Suddenly, the man on the street turned and looked straight at them. "No way! It's just a coincidence. He's not actually looking at us. It just looks like he is." Kitty insisted, her tone betraying her confident words.

"Hey, what's that in his hand?" Rogue pondered when she noticed the man was holding something in his hand. The man abrubtly turned from looking in their direction to say something to the other person in the truck. He then banged on the side of the vehicle and several other men began to pour out of the back of it. When all ten men were gathered on the pavement, four of them began to walk towards the apartment block entrance.

"Ohmigod! They know we're here! They know we're here!" Jubilee squeeled fearfully, backing away from the window.

"Calm down." Kitty insisted. "I'm sure they don't...But just in case they do,you better let me take your collar off." She finished, reaching for Jubilee.

Rogue threw Remy a fearful look and he glared at his front door for a brief second before hurrying into his bedroom, no doubt to get dressed. After Rogue had watched him go, she turned to see that Kitty had pulled Jubilee's collar off and Joe was now sitting on the sofa, hurridly examining the collar which had been around Kitty's neck. She watched as the middle-aged man began to pull the metal apart so that he could look at the mechanics inside.

"Rogue?" Kitty's voice interrupted her stare. Rogue turned to her friend and saw that she looked oddly sad and regretful. "Should I take your collar off now?" She suggested, already reaching forward.

"No!" Rogue gasped quickly, her hands coming up to hold the collar protectively. Kitty's hand stopped but didn't drop from it's position near Rogue's neck. "Ah...Ah don't wanna take it off until Ah really have to." Rogue explained, almost shyly. Kitty let her arm drop and gave a small nod of understanding.

The three consecutive bangs which suddenly came at the front door gave them all a start and caused Jubilee to give a small yelp of shock. None of them moved until Remy came back into the sitting room just as a second sequence of three bangs came.

"Open up." A male voice came from the other side of the door. Everyone looked around at each other desperately. "I said open up. Now!" The voice came again. Jubilee glanced at Kitty quickly before moving over to the door and clearing her throat silently.

"Who's dhere?" Jubilee called out in a terrible Jamaican accent which brought small groans from Kitty and Rogue. "Can' an ol' woman have a little peace and quiet in her own home?"

"This is the police. Open the door." The voice said again.

"Geez, what is this guy a robot or something?" Kitty muttured darkly.

"Why? I'm jus' an old woman. I don' go nowhere, I don' see not'in'. What do yo' wan' from me?" Jubilee tried again.

"We know you're hiding mutant fugitives in there, now open up!" The voice ordered harshly.

Jubilee threw a desperate look over her shoulder and Kitty and Rogue held up their hands in a sign of lacking ideas. Joe, holding a part from the collar he had taken apart, silently went over to Remy and murmured something in his ear. Remy's face fell as Joe spoke and remained solemn after as well. He whispered his reply to Joe who nodded once he was finished. He turned away from Remy and headed out of the room, grabbing Rogue's shopping bag as he passed it, and headed into the kitchen. Remy gave a quiet sigh before he moved up behind Rogue.

"This is your last chance." The voice behind the door warned. "Open the door now or we'll be forced to break it down.

Upon hearing that, Jubilee quickly lurched forward and locked the door and put the chain across as if that would somehow help stop the police from breaking in. She then took a couple of steps backwards and they all waited. The few seconds they actually waited seemed to drag on for an eternity but it still ended too soon. The first thud came and they all visibly jumped despite knowing it was coming. The second thump came seconds after, this one making the door noticeably move inward, and Jubilee quickly ran to Kitty's side as Rogue grabbed Remy's hand. With the third thump, both locks on the door were broken and the door flew open...

* * *

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! I can hear the groans of frustration from here :D I know I'm evil but I really wanted to get this chapter up as it's been so long and it's always nice to keep readers on their toes...I'm going to Hell, I know I am O.o

Hugs  
Dream  
PS: Star Wars rocks so hard!


	24. Chapter 24

Hi everyone :)

Random fact of the chapter: If a lobster loses an eye, it'll grow a new one:

IvyZoe: Well, since you asked for an update so "nicely", here's one for ya :D

Elle457: A vampire? Cool! Then I'll become a vampire, which means I won't have to go to school which means that I'll have more time to try and write :D

ishandahalf: Oh the questions! So many questions! They all need to be answered! When will they be answered! Right now! Dum, dum, dum dum, know what I mean? (Sing to the tune of Park Life, (Never heard the song? Damn O.o) )

WolvGambit: I'm talented? Aww, thank you :) Here's an update just for you :)

CalliopeMused: Lol, I'll be sure to give out free toe ointment for those who have hurty toes :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it, here's the update.

LucreziaNoin86: I know it was a long wait and I'm really sorry but like I said before, exams and writer's block, not a good mix :(

Coletterby: Yes, I was aware of the fact that it was evil :D And you're not talking to me anymore? NOOOOOOOOO! Here, I've updated, will you talk to me now?

Freak87: Well, now that I know you're gonna try harder, I'll know to keep up my guard so it's a bit pointless for you to try harder really isn't it:D There is more to the reason they're being hunted down so harshly and that will be revealed gradually over the next few chappies.

sakura5tar: I enjoy being evil :D Gives me something to do besides writing :D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Well, what's gonna happen now is this chapter so I'll shut up and let you read it :)

Nicki: You're right, it was evil wasn't it:D

firestorm13: Yep, saw Star Wars three times :D I was actually wishing the ending was different and Anakin didn't turn evil even though I knew it wasn't going to happen like that lol.

silverbells: The "voice" in Rogue's head was the one making her lie. Remeber, it doesn't want anyone to know. That was said a while ago so it's all right if you forgot. As for why Joe left, he left because he knew Kitty would be able to take off the other girls' collars.

Ada: Here, I've written more! Please don't cry! PLEASE DON'T CRY!

TricaLee: ...What does WTHIGO stand for? O.o

Remy's girl: Yes, ROMY for life! That'll be my moto from now on :D

Erena: Oooo, you're addicted? Sweet :D

Anna: It was mean wasn't it:D

adrenaline addict: That yellow trench coat was awful wasn't it? I've never really liked Jubilee as a character all that much but she's already an established air-head really so she's handy for that :D

chicita: Strangely, everyone's been telling me that in their reviews this time :D

janey: You know, you're the only person so far who's figured what Joe was telling Remy :) As for warnings, if you know you're going to get addicted, would you still want to read? O.o

crystalwish: I'm glad you're enjoying everything :)

DemoniceGambit: I have to have some sort of outlet for my evilness since my cult hasn't really taken off yet :D

Friend to All: As always, thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement :) They really help me be bothered to carry on.

As always, thank you all for the lovely reviews. Your encouragement gives me the will to battle through the writer's block :)  
Erm...Once again, I have nothing more to say...Dude, I'm losing my touch to babble uncontrolably O.o

* * *

Everything began happening at once. The room was suddenly full of soldiers and filling up more with extra ones who seemed to be continuously charging in through the broken door. Jubilee screamed at the top of her lungs while Kitty flung her arms around her and they sunk into the ground together. Remy threw several charged cards at the soldiers before pulling the stiff, shocked Rogue into the kichen. Once in there, they didn't stop for a second. Remy grabbed a chair and shoved it against the door, effectively baracading it before he led Rogue to the kitchen window above the sink and lifted her up onto the counter beside the sink when he realised she wasn't going to do it herself.

"Climb out dhe window." He instructed, keeping his eyes locked on the kitchen door which was jerking inwards every so often.

"Wasn't Joe in here?" Rogue asked quietly, finally managing to break free of her shocked stupor, as she started to slide out of the window where a fire-escape was waiting for her.

"Joe climbed down dhe window to go do us a favour." Remy answered, following her out of the window just as the kitchen door gave way to the soldiers in the sitting room. Now Rogue was fully out of her state of shock, she grabbed Remy's arm tightly and then teleported them both down to the alleyway below.

Rogue adjusted her grip only slightly so that she could hold Remy's hand before they took off in a sprint. As they went to run around the back of the building, Rogue collided with someone who was running towards them. Screams filled the air for a second before Rogue realised she had bumped into Kitty and Kitty and Jubilee realised it was Rogue and Remy standing in front of them. No words were spoken and the four mutants took off in a run again.

When they reached the open pavement, they all skidded to a quick halt as they came face to face with four soldiers. They turned around immediately and ran off in the opposite direction, Kitty protecting their exposed backs by channeling her ability through them all so bullets and tranquilisers went straight through them all. After getting a fair distance away from the soldiers behind, a second group of four soldiers suddenly came running out of an alleyway just ahead of them. Before the four of them could stop, Rogue teleported them all as far away as she could manage. They popped back up in the grounds of a dark, silent factory.

"Hey, this is that place I was telling you guys about." Jubilee told them happily as she looked around herself.

"Wooptie doo." Kitty panted harshly, totally exhausted from all the running.

"We should...Be safe here...For...A wahle." Rogue gasped out as she leaned against Remy slightly for support.

"Don' t'ink so chere." Remy disagreed, his tone regretful and, annoyingly, not the least bit out of breath. "Joe foun' dhat dhose collars go' buil' in trackin' devices. As long as we're carryin' a workin' one aroun' wit' us, dhey'll always find us."

"Ah...Ah have to take it ahff..." Rogue said in a sad tone of realisation. Just then, the sound of trucks reached their ears and the white glow of headlights washed over them. All but Rogue turned and, with squinted eyes, saw several army trucks had already found them.

"Oh c'mon!" Jubilee yelled angrily, throwing her arms up before throwing them back down to her sides again. Kitty and Remy turned back to Rogue who was still staring ahead of herself with an unseeing gaze.

"Rogue?" Kitty said gently, stepping closer to her.

"Take it ahff." Rogue whispered simply. Kitty slowly reached forward and phased her hand through Rogue's neck. Then, in one swift movement, she pulled the collar away and dropped it to the floor, crackling from it's broken circuit just as she had with Jubilee's earlier. Rogue wordlessly took hold of Remy's arm and Remy held Kitty's wrist who in turn held Jubilee's. Seconds later, they were gone from the factory and instead were in the alleyway beside Joe's cafe.

Rogue released Remy's arm and brought her hand up to feel her neck. As she rubbed it lightly, tears came to her eyes. They began to fall and soon, small sobs were escaping her. Remy gently drew her into his arms and she began to sniffle into his chest, mourning the touch they had shared only a few hours ago and may never have again.

* * *

"Would you move your fat head out of my face? It's making my nose itch." Kitty muttered as she tried to shuffle away from Jubilee.

The three girls were laying on the floor of an old, run-down car, the place where Remy had left them thirty minutes ago. They'd all agreed that it'd be best if Remy made the preperations for their escape from the city on his own. Not only would the girls have provided little help, Kitty and Jubilee wandering around in their pyjamas would've attracted a lot of unwanted attention. The soldiers were still after them, they had seen the trucks around, so hiding was essential to staying free.

"Well excuse miss sensitive but I don't have a lot of room to manouvere myself. Oh, and by the way, my head is not fat." Jubilee grunted irritably as she tried to move herself. As she did, she caught a brief glance of Rogue's hand and clothed stomach as she too took that moment to shuffle around a bit. "How you doin' chica?"

"Ah don't think Ah'll ever be able to strighten mah back again." Rogue's slightly muffled voice replied. "Plus, there's a dead spahder abaht three inches awah from mah face."

"Gross." Kitty's voice came in response.

"Oh well, at least it's dead. Can't move if it's not alive." Jubilee pointed out.

"Well, Ah'd usually agree with ya Jubes but in this case, everytahme Ah breathe aht, it jiggles raht in mah face." Rogue explained.

"Eww!" Kitty's voice came again.

"Can't you just bat it away from your face?" Jubilee suggested.

"Ah ain't touchin' it!" Rogue cried indignantly. The sudden hum of a car engine approaching and stopping nearby silenced the three girls instantly. They didn't even dare breathe in case their position was given away. However, when three consecutive beeps of a car horn came, then a pause and then another two beeps, Rogue sprang into action. "That's the signal! C'mon." She told them, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Kitty and Jubilee followed her lead and once they were all in stable positions, they took hold of each other's hands, (or in Rogue's case, safely covered wrists) and Kitty phased them out of the car.

Outide, the sky was now a fresh blue, the morning having now well and truely started. The girls' mouths dropped open in disbelief as they looked on at an absolutely huge motorhome which was pulled up right in front of them. The door to the drivers seat swung open and Remy hopped out casually.

"So wha' do yo' t'ink?" He asked as he walked over to them.

"Is this yours!" Jubilee gasped in awe.

"Non. Remy jus' borrowing dhis from a friend." He answered. Suspicion flashed through Rogue's eyes and she glared up at him.

"Did ya steal it?" She demanded harshly. "And are we gonna be responsible for some poor family missin' aht on their vacation?"

"Remy shocked an' hurt yo' t'ink so little of him! Do yo' really t'ink he'd sink so low as to steal from a sleepin' fam'ly?" Remy replied, seemingly deadly serious. "What if Remy clean ou' his savin's and bough' dhis t'ing fair and square?"

Rogue raised an eyebrow at him. "It is stolen ain't it?"

"Fine! Joe took it from a showroom!" Remy admitted in an exasperated tone. "Happy now yo' know?"

Rogue just wiggled her eyebrows a little at him in an ambiguous gesture as she walked past him and into the motorhome, Kitty and Jubilee following on behind. Remy let out a sigh before turning and going back over to the front of the vehicle. He climbed into the driver's seat once more and closed the door just as the girls were starting to discover various little treats.

"Hey, mah bag!" Rogue gasped in surprise, seeing her shopping bag waiting for her on a chair.

"Clothes!" Jubilee cried happily, finding two sets of neatly folded, brand new clothes with the store tags still on, on the table by the chairs. "And gloves for you." She said to Rogue, handing her the pair of black gloves beside the clothes. Rogue took the gloves and and looked around herself as she pulled them on. It had every little thing they could possibly want. Just inside the side door, oppostie where they stood now, was a small "living" area complete with a full-size sofa and a TV with satellite feed. Across, where they were, was a small table and chair set, which was definitely not your usual motor home "dining" booth and next to that was a kitchen with a stove, an oven, a microwave and a fully stocked refrigerator/freezer. The short hallway ahead was lined with storage on one side and a bathroom complete with shower on the other. At the back of the vehicle was only one bedroom, two twin beds separated by the continuation of the hallway

"Joe certainly don't do things bah hahlves does he?" She mused, looking over to the back of Remy's head.

"If yo' gon' steal somet'ing, migh' as well steal dhe best." He told her, turning the engine on. "Yo' may wan' 'old onto somet'in'."

"Why?" Kitty asked seconds before the motorhome jolted forward, knocking the three girls off balance and sending them sprawling to the floor with sharp cries.

"Dhat's why." Remy grinned, not turning and only imagining the sight behind him. The three of them glared at him but said nothing as they heaved themselves to their feet. "Okay, so where exac'ly we goin'?" He asked.

"Erm...Out of this state?" Jubilee stated, it coming out as more of a question.

"Remy know dhat petite, he wan'ed an exact location." He told her, grinning in amusement.

"Don't you know?" Kitty asked, suprised.

"Yo' expec' Remy to do all dhe work?" He replied.

"Guess not." Kitty muttered, sitting down on the sofa. "Even if we did get out of the state, where can we go? We're probably wanted all over the country, the fuss they're making about it."

"We could go to Canada!" Rogue suggested suddenly, enthustiastically. "They have pro-mutant laws."

"Yeah, but we're not on the run because we're mutants for once. We're on the run because they think we stole a shit-load of jewellery." Jubilee pointed out.

"Pro-mutant laws aren't exactly gonna hurt though." Kitty pipped in, supporting Rogue.

"We don't have our passports. We'll never make it across the boarder." Jubilee told them.

"Do you have something against Canada?" Kitty demanded.

"No."

"Then stop walking all over Rogue's idea!" Kitty scolded.

"I'm just asking questions to make sure the plan's well thought out." Jubilee justified. "So how would we get into Canada without our passports?" Rogue and Kitty remained silently. Honestly, they hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Yo' jus' leave dhat to Remy petite." Remy called from the driver's seat. "He'll ge' us into Canada easy."

"Is that decided then?" Kitty checked.

"Yep." Rogue confirmed. "We're goin' to Canada."

* * *

And that is it for chapter 24. Wow, that was quite short...Apologies for that. Anyways, all liking it? Hope so :)

Hugs  
Dream


	25. Chapter 25

Hi everyone :)

Random fact of the chapter: there are three golf balls on the Moon O.o

WolvGambitDiableBlanc: Glad to hear you're enjoying it :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it, here's the update :)

ishandahalf: ...Okay...That's a really weird thing to want to go to California for...O.o

crystalwish: Ooo, pretty name :) Nope, I'm not Canadian, I'm English :) Love Canadians though, got great accents :D

LucreziaNoin86: Glad everything is to your liking :) Here's the next chapter which I hope you'll enjoy just as much if not more :)

Elle457: Although I love the work of Anne Rice, her stuff isn't happy enough for me lol. I think even if I was a vampire, I'd still wanna write happy, often fluffy stuff :D Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

IvyZoe: The collar took her natural power away. She could still use all the other powers that he had absorbed from others because they were in her head rather than part of her DNA.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Hmm, other mutants...Maybe they will, maybe they won't :D

Anna: That's understandable that you want to know and there was no need to ask really because that will be addressed over the next few chapters.

firestorm13: I've always wanted to go to Canada as well...Not sure why, I just wanna see what it's like :D

Freak87: You think Joe left kinda abrubtly? Yeah...I guess he did kinda but I wanted it that way. You know, everyone in a panic, things have to happen fast etc etc. Anyways, glad you enjoyed and approved of the chapter :)

sakura5tar: Yeah, it does suck about Rogue. Things are gonna get even worse for her from now on though...Oops, I've said too much :x

texasgrrl: Yay, lets ALL go to Canada!

wiccangurl: I have written more just for you because you did that cute little pouty thing :D

adrenaline addict: Yay, another one for the like pile! (throws you onto a pile of other people) :D

Nicki-hunny: It is sad isn't it:(

chaotic pink chocobo: Nice name :) Glad you're liking everything.

chicita: The wait for more is over :)

CalliopeMused: I was thinking about Massachusetts but then I thought that for such a major crim, it'd probably be a state wide search.

DemonicGambit: A lot of people were saddened by the taking off of the collar. Had to be done though, which I know sucks really badly.

Coletterby: You can't stop yourself. You know you want to talk to me :D

Baby-Vixen: Hmm, how will they survive? Only time will tell O.o

Friend to All: Yay, always nice to get reviews from you :) As always, thank you fr the encouragement and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :)

rebuttall01: I'm honoured that you're enjoying my work so much. My main goal is to entertain :) I hope this chapter is to your liking as well.

Hello to you all. Here we all are back for another chapter.  
Okay, according to my calculations, we have about 10 chapters left to go. That'll probably change as it's hard to judge how long a chapter's gonna be by it's contents and if it gets too long I split it into 2 chapters, but I just thought I'd let you all know, roughly, how far we've got to go. I'll keep you posted on how many chapters there are left to come in case it changes, (which it probably will)  
Okay, the Biggest Pit-Stop in the World thing is basically a rip off of the Mall of America which I saw on an episode of Viva La Bam. I would've used the Mall of America but I can't remember where exactly it is and I didn't wanna mess up the story by getting the geography wrong. Instead, I'll just mess it up by coming up with a totally lame idea with an even lamer name :D  
Also, I have no idea whether Jubilee real name is Jubilation Li or not but I think I heard it somewhere and since I can't think of anything else, I'm gonna use it.

* * *

Rogue and the others spent the whole day out on the road. With the benefits of Joe's thoughtfulness, they hadn't needed to stock up on supplies or anything like that. The only pit stop they had taken was so that Jubilee could take over the driving from Remy who was almosy falling asleep at the wheel. Granted she didn't actually have her license yet but considering the number of laws they had already broken, one more wasn't going to hurt. Now it was completely dark outside and the three girls sat at the front of the motorhome together, talking about things that they hadn't had a chance to yet discuss. 

"I don't understand why you lied to us though." Jubilee sighed, making sure to keep her eyes on the road. "The teachers and Logan, yeah. Me and Kitty, no."

"Ah'm sahrry. Ah guess Ah just thahght things'd be simpler if no one knew. Ah know that ain't much of a reason..." Rogue said, trailing off at the end.

"Sounds fair to me." Kitty assured. "The more people who knew, the more chance of something slipping and Logan finding out and that wouldn't have been a good thing."

"Yeah." Rogue agreed through a sigh. A tense silence took over for a short while.

"I wonder how the others are doing." Jubilee said quietly all of a sudden.

"Personally, Ah'm trahin' not to think abaht it." Rogue murmured sadly.

"Do you think the Professor knows what happened?" Kitty wondered.

"Probably. Ah should think the police would wanna question him abaht me at least." Rogue replied.

"This whole thing is totally weird." Jubilee noted. "Those two on the security tape looked like you and Remy way too much to just be coincidence, but why would someone go to so much trouble to frame you guys? And how were the cops able to identify the two of you so quickly?"

Rogue remained silent and lost herself in thought as Kitty and Jubilee continued thediscussion. Who would want to frame them? The words she'd heard from Destiny suddenly seemed to echo through her head: "...the attack of those who want revenge." Well...Who would want revenge on her? A lot of people. Who would want revenge on Remy? Again, a lot of people...But, to her great annoyance, no one person or group of people occured to her in particular. She gave a silent sigh and rubbed her eyes. She was too tired to try and solve crime mysteries right now.

* * *

Morning, and it was Rogue's turn to drive. Each of them were all rested and were in better spirits which was more than clear from the particularly stupid game they were playing. 

"I'm going to the picnic and I'm bringing asbestos insulation, brine shrimp and...The cryogenically frozen head of Walt Disney." Kitty recited with a grin.

"Ah'm goin' to the picnic and Ah'm bringing asbestos insulation, brahne shrimp, the crahogenically fozen head of Walt Disney and...A drachm of a pickle." Rogue added as they turned a corner.

"What the Hell is a drachm?" Jubilee asked skeptically.

"One eighth of an ounce." Rogue answered.

"No way, you made that up!" Jubilee protested.

"No Ah didn't! It's in the dictionary, look it up!" Rogue insisted defensively.

"We haven't got one so I can't and so that means it doesn't count." Jubilee told her.

"What? That is so unfair!" Rogue yelled.

"We're runnin' low on gas." Remy suddenly noted from the passanger seat beside Rogue.

"Great." Rogue grunted sarcastically.

"Hey look!" Jubilee exclaimed suddenly, pointing at a billboard they were coming up to advertising The Biggest Pit-Stop in the World.

"That is the lamest name for a store I think I've ever heard." Kitty commented as they passed it

"The name isn't exactly important. I bet they'd have gas there though." Jubilee said.

"We are not stopping to shop Jubilee." Rogue told her seriously.

"Who said anything about shopping? I was merely pointing out the possibility that they might have gas pumps there." Jubilee explained. She noticed Kitty looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"You don't seriously expect us to believe that do you?" Kitty asked. "Especially with the huge list of clothes stores they had on the billboard."

"Well...I don't see the harm in wandering around when we get there, just to stretch out legs." Jubilee admitted coyly.

"You may not see the harm in it, but Ah do." Rogue told her. "We're on the run remember? We can't afford to be recognised. We need to keep hidden."

"Dhe petite go' a point chere." Remy suddenly spoke up. "We all need a bit of a break. We lost dhe army ages ago, we'll be safe long enough to just stretch our legs."

Rogue gave Remy a side-long glance before sighing in defeat. "Fahne, we'll stop off there for a whahle." She conceeded. Jubilee gave a small whoop while Kitty and Remy seemed rather pleased they won. Rogue however, couldn't deny the odd feeling of dread which made her heart feel like lead.

* * *

Rogue sat opposite Remy in a small, open coffee shop in the middle of The Biggest Pit-Stop in the World. The gas had been pumped and payed for and, as to everyone's insistence except hers, they had all wandered off to do their own thing. Kitty and Jubilee had gone to window-shop and only window-shop at the insistence of Rogue while she had been reluctantly dragged around by Remy. She'd insisted on wearing a hat to cover her white streaks and also that Remy wore sunglasses to cover his eyes. These were only small comforts though and Rogue still found herself perminantly worried and edgy. 

"Marie, if yo' keep lookin' so shifty, yo' gon' start attractin' attention anyway." Remy murmured to her discreetly, reaching to rest his hand on top of hers.

"Ah don't know whah we're here. We've got coffee and muffins in the motorhome." Rogue muttured.

"Oui, but no' almond coffee." Remy tried to joke. Rogue just glared at him, clearly not amused. "What's wrong Marie?"

"What's wrong?" Rogue echoed in disbelief. "Ah seem to be the only one who's treating this lahke the situation it is. We are not on a road trip, we're on the run from a bunch of army guys that wanna lock us up for something we didn't do!"

"We all understand the situation chere. Dhis ain' exac'ly Remy's first time and it's because of dhat, dhat he can tell yo' dhat stressin' ain' gon' help at all. Remy know dhis is scary for yo', but yo're makin' it worse for yo'self by tryin' to deal wit' it on yo'r own...D'yo' remember what Remy told yo' dhe night we were toget'er?"

"Ya said Ah'd never have to be on mah own again, that ya'd always be there to back me up." Rogue recalled, blushing slightly at the circumstances in which that promise had been made.

"An dhat still stands. Yo' don' have to do dhis on yo'r own 'cause Remy gon' stay right by yo'r side." He assured her, squeezing her hand gently. "Anyway, dhis is all hypothetical: not'in' is gon' happen."

"Remy," Rogue sighed. "This is us ya talkin' abaht. Something always happens to us."

* * *

Kitty gave a frustrated sigh and looked around herself irritably. She'd been seperated from Jubilee for ten minutes now and had no idea where everyone was. As she continued her search, she couldn't help but compare her immature friend to a toddler or a puppy or something. Turn your back for just one second and they've totally vanished into thin air. 

Letting out another huff, Kitty paused her walking and rubbed her eyes tiredly. When she looked up again, she caught sight of something on the other side of the plaza; a TV store with several sets on display and in use, each one on the same channel which was currently showing a close up of the Professor's face.

* * *

Jubilee wandered around happily, looking around herself at the various shops. She hadn't intentionally lost Kitty. She'd seen a shop window full of gorgeous shoes and had been drawn to it like a moth to a flame. When she'd turned back to where she had last seen Kitty, she'd gone. Granted it wasn't intentional but Jubilee wasn't exactly upset with the seperation which was the main reason wy she hadn't made too much of an effort to locate and rejoin her friend. Besides, they were bound to run into each other again eventually. 

Continuing on her way, Jubilee didn't stand out in the least. All she looked like was a normal teen window shopping. As she passed a book store, she paused and thought back to the game they had played that morning in the motorhome. That word Rogue had used...Dra-something. She refused to believe it was a real word. A bookstore would sell dictionaries. She could look it up and then rub it in Rogue's nose that she was wrong.

Jubilee walked into the book store and quickly saw the educational books near the back. She made a beeline over to the back of the store and began to search for the dictionaries. Fortunately, she soon found them. Unfortunately, they were on the very top shelf. She couldn't reach them herself and she did promise Rogue not to draw attention to herself and asking for assistence would do that. Still, she knew she wouldn't be satisfied until she'd proven Rogue wrong.

Looking around herself, just to check no one was watching, Jubilee forced out a fake yawn and stretched her arms and back. As she did so, she released a few sparks which shot at the dictionaries and, luckily, dislodged only one. She skillfully caught the large book in both her hands and quickly flipped it open to a random page.

"I..." Jubilee murmured to herself before flicking the pages back, blissfully ignorant of the attention she had unwittingly attracted with her little stunt and the store clerk who had hurried out of the shop. "D...Dr...Dra...Ahh, here, let's see; drag, draft, draconian, drachma...Well wha'd'ya know? It is a real word!"

"Excuse me miss." A deep voice suddenly came from behind her. Jubilee turned to see two security guards. "Is your name Jubilation Li?"

...Crap.

* * *

Kitty had resumed her search for her companions with much more enthusiasm and desperation. Her head was swimming with everything she'd just found out. They had to leave, they had to get going again, they couldn't afford to waste anymore time. The Professor, the others! 

Kitty was all but running as she scanned the area for her friends. Just as she happened to look out over to the other side of the hall, she spotted Jubilee running...Being followed by several security guards. Fearing the worst, Kitty changed her course and went to meet up with her friend.

She no longer cared about not drawing attention to herself. If the security had figured out who Jubilee was, which was what had most likely happened, then it didn't matter anymore. So, to save time, instead of dodging and swirving around people, she simply ran tthrough them. Unsurprisingly, a panic soon spread through those around her but she ignored them; there were more important problems at hand.

* * *

Remy actually succeeded in easing Rogue's nerves after a while. That being the case, when they heard a commotion on the floor above them, neither assumed the worst immediately.

"What d'ya reckon that's all abaht?" Rogue pondered as they watched a few security guards run by, towards the stairs.

"Prob'ly jus' a shop lifter." Remy replied. "But Remy t'ink he should go check it ou' jus' in case it's somet'ing we need to know 'bout." He told her, getting to his feet.

"Ya don't think that maybe Kitty or Jubes..." Rogue began worridly.

"Remy sure dhey fine chere." He assured her quickly. "He jus' wan' be sure dhough. Yo' gon' be okay on yo'r own for a while?"

"Ah'll be fahne."

"Kay dhen. Won' be long." He told her, casually walking away, heading for an escalater which would lead him up to the above floor.

* * *

"What do you not understand about the phrase, "don't draw attention to yourself"?" Kitty yelled, having joined Jubilee a while back, as they both phased through anyone who happened to get in their way.

"I did check before I did anything." Jubilee pointed out.

"And a fat lot of good that did!"

"You know, I don't wanna hold your hand when you're being like this." Jubilee grumbled. The second that sentence was out of her mouth, Kitty's grip on her hand became painful. "Ow!"

"You even try to let go and I swear I'll break it." Kitty hissed darkly, not in any mood to put up with childish behaviour. Just as Jubilee was about to answer back, she spotted something a small way ahead of them.

"Oh no!" She gasp, skidding to a halt.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing!" Kitty demanded angrily, trying to pull Jubilee forward again.

"Look!" Jubilee ordered, pointing ahead of them. Kitty did as instructed and turned to look. The soldiers from before! Loads of them, all armed, all heading towards them.

"Fuck!" Kitty swore loudly.

"Kitty!" Jubilee gasped, shocked at her friend's language.

"Oh give it a rest Jubes. If the f word isn't justifiable now, when is it?" Kitty grunted, pulling Jubilee along towards an escalator which went down to the ground floor; they had to get out now.

They soon reached the moving stairs, only to find another handful of soldiers waiting for them at the bottom. Both girls let out groans of frustration before they veered off to the right, no longer knowing where they were going and just wanting to get away from the immediate danger. And because of that, they ended up getting boxed into a dead end.

As the two girls slid to a stop in front of the wall which took away their hope of escape without confrontation, Kitty looked behind them to see a few of the soldiers who had pursued them had now stopped and were taking aim at them. For once, Kitty lost her cool and panicked. The smart thing to do would've been to have kept her hold on Jubilee and channel her power through her so the bullets or tranquilisers, which ever they were armed with, would phase through them. Unfortunately, her panic made her act on reflex only: she shoved Jubilee behind herself and used her own body to shield Jubilee.

Jubilee was stunned at the gesture, too stunned to move or think properly. Any second now, the soldiers would shoot...But then there was a small explosion which knocked a few of the soldiers out and the rest had their sight blocked by smoke. From out of the smoke to their left, Remy emerged.

* * *

Rogue took a small sip of her coffee, letting out a small sigh once she'd swallowed the warm liquid. Her eyes fell onto Remy's muffin and she reached out quickly and broke a piece off, then popped it into her mouth. As she chewed it slowly, she studied her gloved hands.

She'd be completely lying if she denied that she didn't miss her ability to touch, but she had once again become used to the fact she couldn't again. A small smile spread across her face as she remembered the contact she'd shared with Remy. The sensations were scorched into her nerves like burns which would never heal and, for that, she was glad. She didn't want to forget, not ever.

Looking around herself, Rogue saw the dozens of people who were wandering around, all taking a pit-stop from their own journies. No one paying any attention to her. Remy was right; she was making everything more difficult then it needed to be. She needed to stop stressing, she needed to relax, she needed to take off the stupid hat which was cooking her head!

Rogue pulled the hat off irritably and shook her hair out. A quick glance around herself confirmed that absolutely no one was bothered with her. Smiling to herself, she took another sip of her coffee and stole another chunk of Remy's muffin.

* * *

"What dhe Hell happened?"

"I'm sorry, it was..."

"It was me. I didn't think and I phased through a shop door when Jubes let it close on me."

"Dhis is all we need! Yo' do realise dhis makes Rogue right now."

"Oh yeah, I found out that drachm is an actual word."

"You're the only one who thought it wasn't!"..."Where did you say Rogue was?"

"Left her in dhe food court."

"Hey look, there she is. Hey...!"

"Don' call ou'! Yo'll call attention to her."

"Oh no! Guys look! Soldiers!"

* * *

Rogue let out a huff and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Remy was taking much longer than she originally thought he was going to. She'd heard a sound a few minutes earlier. It was faint and sounded suspiciously like an explosion or something. Her first reaction had been to think the worst but then she remembered Remy's assurance. Nothing was going to happen, she was just being paranoid. She probably had only imagined the noise as well.

While idly stirring her coffee with a plastic spoon, she suddenly realised that there was someone standing just in front of the table. She looked up, un-sure of what to expect. Her body went cold when she did. Two soldiers. She silently ordered herself to stay calm. They hadn't instantly grabbed her. Maybe they didn't know who she was.

"Can Ah help ya with something officers?" She asked in a honey dipped voice.

"They know who we are!" Jubilee's voice suddenly yelled from above.

Okay, maybe they did know who she was as one of them made a grab for her arm. Rogue reacted before the soldier though and teleported a safe distance away.

* * *

"Quick, teleport us down there!"

"Remy? C'mon, teleport us!"

"Can' do dhat petite."

* * *

Screams rose up as the people around Rogue realised she was a mutant. It didn't phase her though, the fact that she was on her own, running away from armed soldiers, that's what freaked her out! All common sense flew out the window and she just ran. She totally forgot the arsenal of mutant abilities she had at her disposal. She was in too much of a panic. She couldn't hear, she couldn't think, all she could do was run as fast as she could.

* * *

"Oh my God! They're taking aim at her!"

"Remy! Do something!"

"Marie! Behind yo'!"

* * *

Too many voices all crying out at once. She couldn't hear, her head throbbed, she felt dizzy. For a second, she thought she heard someone call her name, her real name. Then a sound, not a voice, a sound, a bang, kinda like a...

Pain. Hot, blinding pain in her shoulder. She tumbled. She didn't feel her body hit the floor.

* * *

Oooooo, another cliff hanger :O Though, I don't think that was much of one, it's pretty obvious what's gonna happen I think...But maybe I just think that because I know what's gonna happen next...Who knows? Oh well, catch ya'll next time :)

Hugs  
Dream


	26. Chapter 26

Hi everyone :)

Random fact of the chapter: our brains are made up of 80 water O.o

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: More has been added just as you wished :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it, here's the update :)

Freak87: Ah yes, so many different possibilities...You know, I sometimes wish I could write fanfiction for my fanfiction. You know, change it all around, like do a version where they are captured and one where they aren't. But alas, I doubt anyone would care that much to read them both :(

IvyZoe: No, the girls still think Remy can teleport, they just know that he didn't really kidnap Rogue. This is your favourite story? Wow, massive compliment there :)

Baby-Vixen: Okies? That's SO cute! New chapter just for that :D

LucreziaNoin86: Hope this new chapter came soon enough for you :)

CalliopeMused: Minnesota hmm? And a lot of possibilities? Yeah, I suppose there are really. I do like that one where the soldiers spotaneously combust...O.o

Wiccangurl: See, now, if you keep using the cute little pouty thing, it's gonna lose it's charm and won't work anymore. However, it still does work so I've written more as quick as I could :)

sakura5tar: This update was brought to you ASAP which I hope was conforming to your definition of ASAP...If that doesn't make sense, sorry, but it's too hot to think properly -.-

Shaishe: Good. Good :D. Here's the update :)

Nicki-hunny: I'm not surprised you have someone in mind for who framed Remy and Rogue but poor Rogue, she's a bit sleep deprived.

Rogue200315: I've updated, but only because you said please :)

Bec: My writing's captivating? Sweet :D

rebuttal101: Two week deadline hmm? Did I make it? No, seriously, I'm asking, I write these replies way before the chapter's published O.o

Lucy Wood: Glad you're liking everything :) Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: As always, questions will be answered, just not here :D And it is sad that we're on the final countdown isn't it:(

firestorm13: Well, that game is basically what my friends said when we played that game one time so they must've used the ones they saw on Daria though I've never seen the episode with it in, even though I watch Daria all the time...Odd O.o

chicita: Here's the update. I hope it's reached you before you've freaked out too much :D

Elle457: Okay, here's another deal: I give you a butter knife and you cut through my writer's block, (points to a massive stone block a small ways off) If you break through it, I'll start writing faster :D

adrenaline addict: Yes, Logan would come in handy? Is he around though? Only time will tell...O.o

crystalwish: Lol, actually, that's kinda close to what I've done :)

Anna: Yep, she just panicked and totally forgot herself.

Coletterby: Lol, a brain damaged Rogue...Yeah, I can imagine that lol :D

Anna Marie Raven: Interesting prediction. You'll just have to read on to see if you're right.

SaintEmo: I'm gonna assume you meant update soon father than son, so I did update soon, just in case :D

Greetings my friends and welcome to Chapter 26 of our little story.  
I've reached the 500 review mark! How super, funky, sweet is that? Thank you everyone who's reviewed this story so far. It helps me keep up the good work :)  
We're still on track chapter-wise. Nine more chapters left after this one.  
I can think of nothing more to say so I'll just let you all get on with your reading now :)

* * *

"Get Logan aht nah!...Aah don't care abaht that at the moment! Ah'm sure she'd rather a little pain then death!...Remind me, who exactly is in charge here?...Ah don't care what ya think! Shut up and get Logan here!"

* * *

The area had emptied of people in a matter of milliseconds after the shot was fired. Now, the only ones who remained were the four mutants and dozens of soldiers and security guards. 

Kitty, Jubilee and Remy phased through the floor down to the ground floor. The second their feet touched the floor, Remy charged and threw several cards at the soldiers, injuring more than a few and also creating an effective smokescreen. Jubilee and Kitty dashed to the still form of Rogue, laying in a pool of her ownrapidly cooling blood. Not caring in the least about the consequences, Kitty grabbed her bare wrist.

"Oh my..." She gasped when nothing happened. "Remy! She's not absorbing me!" A hard look of concentration formed on Remy's face. "Remy!"

"Give her time!" He yelled back at them as he threw several more cards into the smoke, taking out his anger and fear on the soldiers and security guards.

Jubilee and Kitty glanced at each other, neither knowing what that was meant to mean. However, it didn't matter that much as within a few seconds they were given their answer. All of a sudden, Rogue's eyes shot open, her body tensed and she released an ear piercing scream of agony. The shock of the quick, violent switch back to life stunned Kitty and Jubilee into paralysis. Neither could move or speak and could only watch on as Rogue managed to push herself up on her hand and knees, one hand coming up to clutch the left side of her chest which was still bleeding badly all the while shallow, harsh pants escaped her lips.

Rogue's scream had, had a curious affect on Remy. His concern that she was in pain was almost completely over-ridden by the relief that she was alive. Although he had told Kitty and Jubilee to just give her time, he had been less than sure that she had still been alive. He knew she had the Wolverine in her head, he knew she had access to his healing power: he just hadn't known for sure she'd been able to use it.

Rogue wasn't sure which was worse; the pain in her head or the pain which stung her entire left side as her heart, muscle and flesh healed itself. She suddenly had a new-found respect for Logan. He healed himself on a regular basis and if it always hurt this much, he was definately tough. Very tough. The sensation itself was odd. It felt like the flesh was burning, really badly burning. She could actually feel her muscles coming together and joining again. It was an awful sensation.

Kitty and Jubilee had to snap themselves out of their shock when Rogue suddenly fell forward as the arm which was supporting her buckled and gave way. They stopped her decent immediately, each grabbing a shoulder.

"Rogue, what's happening?" Jubilee cried desperately.

"Can't really...Talk raht...Nah." Rogue managed to say in a strained voice. "Call...Remy ova."

"Remy!" Kitty yelled. "Get over here!"

"Kinda busy." He called back irritably. Rogue let out a groan of frustration which she was able to start feeling again as the pain lessened though still killed.

"Nah!" Rogue suddenly cried out, knowing Remy would react to her. Sure enough, it only took a second for Remy to reach her side and grab hold of her hand. "We're leavin'." She told them all before abruptly teleporting them all out of the building.

Moments later, they had re-entered inside the motorhome and Rogue was all but unconscious. Seeing her sag a little, Remy quickly seized her from Kitty and Jubilee before heading towards the beds in the back.

"Jubilee, ge' us ou' o' here." He ordered over his shoulder. Jubilee did as she was told and darted for the driver's seat while Kitty stomped after Remy.

Rogue's eyes were clenched shut tightly in pain as her body continued to heal itself. Faintly, she felt the back of Remy's gloved hand gently caress her cheek and she leaned into the sensation, drawing comfort from it. Remy smiled slightly at her reaction from where he sat beside her on the bed which she lay. The motorhome jolted forward suddenly and Remy got up to his feet so he could go up to the front to advise Jubilee. However, when he turned to leave the small sleeping area, he found Kitty barring his way.

"I want an explanation." She demanded angrily. "Right now!"

* * *

The sky had long ago darkened to night and the motorhome continued on at a steady pace. The immediate run from the army had been mercifully short thanks to some amazingly skillful driving from Jubilee and some well-aimed throws from Remy. And then, once the panic was over, the explanations came. Remy revealed every last detail of the secret Rogue had so carefully kept and protected for the past few months. Then, when he was done and Kitty had recovered from the surprise, it was her turn to explain what she had seen on the TV. What she had to tell them meant that they had to totally change their plans. 

Now, things felt calmer for all. Rogue was sleeping peacefully, Remy was occupied with driving the motorhome and Kitty and Jubilee were sitting together in the kitchen area. While Kitty read a book she'd found laying around, Jubilee half-heartedly played solitaire with an old pack of dog-eared playing cards. Every so often, Jubilee threw a quick glance at the girl opposite her and it wasn't going un-noticed.

"Is there a reason you keep staring at me every so often?" Kitty inquired, not bothering to look up from her book. Jubilee blushed sheepishly and didn't answer. After a moment of silence passed, Kitty lifted her eyes to look at her friend with raised eyebrows.

"I was just thinking about earlier. About how you took the blame for me and when you stepped in front of me when we were trapped in that dead end." Jubilee admitted quietly.

"That a fact?" Kitty mumbled, looking back down at the book.

"Why did you?" Jubilee asked with sudden earnest.

"Which one are you talking anout?" Kitty checked, her tone seemingly un-interested.

"Both."

"Seemed like good ideas at the time." Kitty answered with a shrug, once again not looking up. Jubilee stayed silent and, upon glancing up, Kitty saw she looked disappointed. With a sigh, she set the book down and leaned back against the chair she was sitting on. "How long have we known each other? About six years right? You know me better than anyone and you know I'm not good at this kinda stuff. Plus, if you can't figure out my reasons on your own, you're even dumber than I thought you were."

Jubilee remained ever silent and Kitty faught back a groan. She knew what was coming, she couldn't stop it. Her pride told her to not give in but she knew it needed to be said and she may as well get it over with. With a reluctant sigh, Kitty took a quick look at Jubilee before her gaze fell to the edge of the table.

"I did it because..." C'mon, be strong. Just say it! "...Because I love you."

"You what?" Jubilee gasped, shocked.

"I'm not saying it again." Kitty muttered, her eyes going back to her book.

Jubilee continued to stare at Kitty for a few more seconds before she smiled to herself and looked back down at the cards arranged in front of her on the table. A comfortable silence surrounded them again. Once again, all was calm.

* * *

It was later. Not that much later though, it was still dark outside. Kitty sat on the bottom bed of the bunk bed across from where Rogue slept. Jubilee had fallen asleep watching the TV and Remy was keeping himself occupied with driving. 

It was obvious that, although Remy knew more about what was going on then either Kitty or Jubilee, he still had no real idea what was going on with her. He didn't know when she was going to wake up and he didn't know what state she'd be in when she did. The worry was eating him up, it could be seen clearly by the two girls. What was making everything worse though was the fact they could only wait for Rogue to wake up on her own. None of them knew how they could help her or even if they could help her, so all they could do was sit and stew in worry.

Running her hand through her hair, Kitty grimaced slightly at the feel of the greasy strands. It'd been a few days since she'd had a chance to wash her hair. Even though they had a shower, using the hot water drained the motorhome's battery so they had to stop to take showers. And, since they hadn't dared to stop for more than five minutes at a time, showers were little more than a very quick scrub down with a bar of soap.

"Kitty?"

Kitty snapped out of her train of thought the instant she heard the weak voice of Rogue. She looked over at her friend who they'd changed into Jubilee's pyjamas as her clothes had been ruined by her blood. She looked pale and weak and the slightly over-sized pyjamas made her look awfully frail.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" Kitty greeted her softly.

"Tahred. Did Ah lose a lot of blood?" Rogue inquired weakly.

"Yeah, quite a bit...Does Logan's healing ability help to make blood faster?" Kitty questioned, oddly shy.

Rogue nodded. "Mmhmm." She paused and frowned lightly. "Ah can actually feel it being made. Uch, how can Logan live lahke this?"

"Why didn't you tell us Rogue?" Kitty sighed, ignoring Rogue's comment.

"Didn't wanna worry ya." Rogue said with a weak smile.

"We could've help you."

"Hah? Bah tellin' the teachers? That's exactly what Ah didn't want."

"But why Rogue? I don't understand."

"Neither do Ah...That's what scares me." Rogue admitted.

Silence over-came them for a few moments until Kitty spoke. "I found out that the others are in Washington."

"Washin'ton?" Rogue gasped.

"The Professor got them out. He's working on clearing our names as welll. Hasn't helped that we're on the run though. Apparantly, it makes us look guilty." Kitty explained.

"Hah did you fahnd all this aht?"

"It was on the news, saw it in a shop window just before everything kicked off." Kitty answered. "We're gonna head to Washington instead of Canada. The Professor and the teachers will be able to protect us better than we can protect ourselves."

"Kay." Rogue sighed out her agreement. "Kitty? Ah don't want them to know abaht me."

"Rogue..." Kitty began to protest.

"Please Kitty, Ah don't wanna have to deal with them." Rogue insisted. Kitty studied her friend for a moment before releasing a reluctant sigh.

"I don't understand why you're so afraid for thm to know, but I'll do as you ask."

"Thanks Kitty." Rogue smiled.

"Hey, you've woken up." Jubilee's voice suddenly came. Rogue and Kitty looked up to see their friend enter the small space. "How are you feeling?"

"Better thanks." Rogue assured, still smiling.

"Good." Jubilee nodded, rocking back and forth on her heels. She paused before speaking again. "Kitty, would you mind if I spoke to Rogue privately for a sec?"

"Oh, yeah sure. I need to go check on how Remy's doing anyway." Kitty agreed, rising from the bed and phasing through Jubilee to get out of the room. Once she was gone, Jubilee took up the place on the bed where Kitty had just left.

"Okay, I'm just gonna get straight to the point." She told Rogue confidently. "You keep all the powers of the mutants you absorb right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then I want you to absorb me."

"Ya want me to WHAT?" Rogue cired, sitting up slightly.

"You heard me."

"But...That's insane!" Rogue insisted.

"Is it?" Jubilee asked. "We're in one of the most dangerous situations we've ever been in and we have to rely on ourselves for protection. There aren't any teachers, there's no Wolverine, there's no great number, it's just us four. I know you've already got a lot of powers and mine isn't exactly the strongest ever, but I want you to have access to it."

"Jubilee..."

"Please Rogue." Jubilee insisted. "Please let me help you."

Rogue practically glared at Jubilee for some time before releasing a reluctant groan of defeat. "Lay dahn." She ordered briskly. Jubilee looked at her quizically. "Ah'm in no condition to pick ya up when ya fall dahn unconscious." Jubilee got the idea and quickly lay down on the bed she was sitting on while Rogue pulled her right glove off with her teeth. "Hand." She said simply, holding out her own hand. Jubilee reached out her own hand and Rogue took hold of it firmly.

The pull was instantaneous and both girls winced slightly at the sensation. Neither pulled away though, although Rogue was sure to be aware just when she'd need to. She forced herself to watch Jubilee closely so sh could be sure exactly when she needed to pull away. When she saw her friend's head lull to the side, Rogue knew it was time to stop. She tore her hand away quickly and brought it up to press against her forehead where a dull throb had started to ache inside.

While taking in a few deep breaths to steady her nerves, Rogue took another look at her friend. She looked peaceful, just like she was sleeping. She was in a way. Rogue smiled lightly at the kindness of her friend before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. Despite being kind though, Rogue was now aware of the odd obssession Jubilee had of making sure her underwear drawer was colour co-ordinated and also that she had a huge crush on Kurt...That was something she really could've done without knowing.

* * *

Okay, that bit where Kitty tells Jubilee that she loves her isn't in the romantic way. Are me and my friends the only ones who ever openly tell each other that I love each other?...Yep, guess so :D  
So, the course has been changed and it's off to Washington we go. What a surprising turn of events!...Yeah, I'm just talking for the sake of talking now:D 

Hugs  
Dream


	27. Chapter 27

Hi everyone :)

It's time for another random and totally useless fact: the largest fish ever caught was a whale shark and was 59 feet long O.o

LucreziaNoin86: Glad you liked the chapter and it's good to know other girls tell their friends that as well :)

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: This update came as soon as I could get it out :)

enchantedlight: Glad you liked here, here's the update :)

Wiccangurl: I don't think it's that weird but some people are so closed minded and that sorta thing puts them off. Sad I know but you've gotta make those kindsa people happy otherwise they falme ya.

adrenaline addict: Jedi/mutant mind tricks! That cracked me up. Yes, I know, laughing at Star Wars jokes, I'm a geek :D lol

crystalwish: Rogue is awsome isn't she? Wish I could create a character as great as her -.-

Elle457: Remy's secretly Mystique? That's a very...Weird idea...Even if I did wanna make that work in the story, I'd have to think of a way to make it all make sense which would mean the next chapter would come out even more slowly wouldn't it:D

Anna: The love thing with Kitty and Jubilee: it was, indeed, an accident that people took it that way, but as another reviewer pointed out, Jubilee seemed to take it as a romantic thing didn't she? So now, I think I'll do something with that :D

IvyZoe: Yes, we're lacking in ROMYness at the moment aren't we? There's a bit in this chapter but next chapter there will be loads of ROMY goodness so far not. As for Head Remy, he's not due for a come for a few more chapters yet. He will come though, you have my word.

Anna MArie Raven: Lol, I did kinda write it like that didn't I? Hmm, I might make something out of that soon :D

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: The main voice in her head will be explained soon. We're onto the final countdown of chapters remember?

firestorm13: Nothing like a bit of friendship action to warm the heart :) Glad to hear you're liking everything.

chicita: I might go for that un-expected twist you know. A lot of people have been saying that Jubilee's reaction was like she thought Kitty meant romantic love...I think I'm gonna have to address that in the story...(starts to ponder possibilities)

Baby-Vixen: Yeah, I think my friends just kinda get that I'm nutty enough to tell them I love them a lot although they do usually say it back. Eh, maybe they feel ablidged to or something lol.

Freak87: Glad you're liking everything and as for you and your friends, I'd say that punching each other in the arm is a sign of affection. It's not like you go around punching total strangers...Or do you? O.o

Shaishe: Glad ya did :)

sakura5tar: Yes, why Rogue doesn't want the teachers to know if part of the story so you're meant to be confused :D

Lucy Wood: No disappointments? Good, good :D

Lyra Eyota: Mmm, ROMY's are addictive aren't they? And stories exploring Rogue being able to use other mutants' powers are always interesting :)

rebuttall01: You're more patient than I am then. I hate being away from the internet for any length of time. Gets me kinda cranky -.-

CalliopeMused: Some people actually believe in spontaneous human combustion. I saw a programme on it once...Wasn't very convincing though, just kinda made the people who made the programme look really stupid O.o

DemonicGambit: Really? You don't think they should go to Washington? Hmm...Interesting...O.o

Crazy4Cocopuffs: 15- My cruel streak comes in later :D  
20- Ooooooooh, so you're GottaLoveIt. It's nice to have you back with us. Glad everything is exceeding your expectations :)  
21- Damn, you figured out my secret! I was involved in a high speed care chase when I was trying to escape the American government after sneaking into Area 51...A 17 year old driving from Nirvana to London England on half a tank of gas: it really was a history making day O.o  
23- A lot of people think I'm evil...But really, I'm just misunderstood :D  
24- Compliment there...Not good at taking compliments (blush)  
25- Gotta love a bit of drama to spice up a story :D  
26- That is actually a really good idea. I'm already planning something a bit like it so i think I'll include your idea as well :D

Chapter 27 baby! Yeah!  
We're still on track with the chapter countdown: only eight more chapters left.  
I have nothing else to say...O.o

* * *

Dawn seemed to come very quickly to Rogue. One moment, she was peacefully resting, actually finding Jubilee's snoring comforting. The next, there was a huge explosion near by which dragged her out of her pleasant state of mind before stamping all over it. Both her and Jubilee woke at the sound, Jubilee sitting up quickly only to bump her head on the bed above her. 

"What the Hell is going on?" Jubilee yelled as she rubbed her bumped head, angry at being woken so rudely from her sleep.

Rogue chose to ignore her friend as she had just as much information. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, quickly finding that she'd have to hold onto things to steady herself what with the combination of rough driving and the un-steadiness of her wobbly legs. Despite these inconviniances though, she made her way through the motorhome, up to the front. There, she found Kitty driving and only the bottom half of Remy's body visible as the top half was hanging out of the window on the passenger side.

"What's happenin'?" Rogue asked calmly, coming to stand just behind Kitty just as Jubilee came out to join them as well.

"We can't be sure but we think, WE THINK, the army knows it's us." Kitty grunted, adding bitter humour to the situation as always.

"Why are they still after us if the Professor's spoken out about it?" Jubilee demanded seconds before another explosion resounded around them.

"'Cause they can? I don't know! Why're you asking me?" Kitty snapped irritably, swirving to avoid the blast area of the explosion just ahead of them.

"Those ain'tahr explosions?" Rogue gasped in horror, grabbing hold of the back of Kitty's chair as the un-stable environment made her un-steady legs give way beneath her partly.

"No, they're not." Kitty confirmed, noticably glancing at the side mirror to see what was going on behind them. Another explosion, this one behind them came. "That one was ours."

As if suddenly remembering he was there, Rogue turned her attention to Remy. She reached over him to grab the small hoop of material on the mid-back of his trench coat and pulled him back inside fully. Once in, he turned to face her looking irritated before he realised it was her and then his irritation melted away to his usual confident/cocky grin.

"Mornin' mon cherie. Yo' lookin' particul'y lovely." He complimented.

"Whah thank ya very much." Rogue grinned back, moving slightly to allow him space to get to his feet. "Nah get aht the way and let someone else have some fun." She ordered playfully, squeezing past him to kneel on the passenger seat. As she passed him, Remy playfully pinched Rogue's bottom causing her to jump a little and throw him a mock indignant glare.

"Will you two focus please?" Kitty muttered, glancing for a second at the pair.

Rogue poked her tongue out at the Remy before moving her head out through the open window. Her hair was instantly blown in her face as she turned to look at what exactly they were running away from. Her jaw dropped in a combination of horror and surprise at what she saw. Not only were there trucks like before, but now they were also being chased by tanks. Tanks! Actual, missile shooting tanks! Had they given up on arresting them and were now just content with blowing them up? Did they really think they were that much of a threat?

Adjusting her position slightly, Rogue brought her arm out of the window as well. She stretched her hand towards the closest tank to them and began to concentrate on it as hard as she could. When she felt she had a hold on it, she began to try and clench her hand into a fist. Her face contorted slightly in the effort but the groan of strained metal soon proved to all that the effort wasn't going to waste.

"Don' over do it chere." Remy's yell only just came over the sound of the wind rushing past Rogue's ears. She would've done something to reassure him but she was just seeing the results of her hard work; the cannon on the tank she was focused on was visibly bending.

Rogue doubled her effort and seconds later, with a sharp clang, the cannon snapped and fell to the ground, flattened by the tank it came from in moments. Looking around now that was donw, she suddenly noticed that soldiers were hanging out of truck windows much like she was with the motorhome, only they had guns. Acting quickly, without really thinking all that much, Rogue pulled Head Cyclops forward. She felt her eyes begin to tingle and she braced her arms on the edges of the open window. The tingle became an itch and then the wide red beam shot from her eyes. The back-lash effect was more or less neutralised thanks to the fact Rogue was steadying herself. This also made her aiming a lot better and she actually managed to hit the tyres of one of the trucks like she meant to.

Feeling that startings of a headache, Rogue pulled herself back into the motorhome. She adjusted herself so she was actually sitting in the passenger seat rather than kneeling on it. Leaning back and relaxing her muscles, she released a small sigh. Then she noticed Jubilee giggling. She let her head flop to the side so she could ask what was so funny with just a glare.

"Your hair." Was all Jubilee said before her words dissolved into quiet laughter. Rogue only shook her head at the childish amusement and straightened her head out again, letting her eyes shut. However, no sooner had she shut them then Kitty spoke.

"Oh f...udge! Remy!"

With that call, Rogue's eyes shot open to see what was going on. Outside, right in front of them, was another huge group of tanks and trucks, all lined up creating an effective barrior which seemed to stretch on for a good mile or so both to the left and the right. "We are so screwed." She muttured, staring un-blinking at what was ahead.

"What should we do?" Kitty asked, her shoulders tensing as she adjusted her grip on the steering wheel in anticipation.

"What can we do?" Jubilee cried. "Can't go 'round them, too many to phase through them, can't double back, can't do anything!"

"Ah'll teleport us to safety." Rogue told them.

"No yo' won'." Remy corrected sternly.

"What else are we gonna do?" Rogue demanded.

"Yo've done too much already." He insisted.

"Ah'm fahne!"

All of a sudden there was a loud bang and the motohome swirved out of control. It didn't take a genius to figure out that one of the tyres had been blown, either by a bullet or just by something sharp in the road. Kitty tried to steady them but with the bang of another tyre, she lost control completely and the motorhome swirved to the side so violently that it over-balanced and began to tip onto it's side. Reacting the moment the second bang came, Rogue grabbed Kitty, yanked her out of the driver's seat, (luckily she wasn't wearing a seat belt) lunged at Jubilee, knocking her into Remy. Once they were all connected, Rogue teleported them away.

They reappeared in what seemed like the middle of no where. All that was around was a road, fields and trees, all of which stretched on as far as the eye could see.

The moment they were back, Rogue gave a small whimper of pain and her legs gave way beneath her, sending her slumping forward. Remy, Kitty and Jubilee all went to catch her at once and all played their part in supporting her limp body. Once Remy was sure he had a very secure hold on her, Kitty and Jubilee relinquished their holds on her.

"Chere?" He murmured to her gently, stooping his head a little while also holding her up a little straighter.

"Crap..." She replied weakly, her eyes fluttering a little as she struggled to keep them open.

"Wha'? Wha' is it?" Remy asked, eager to right anything which was wrong for her.

"Ah left mah shoppin' bags back in the motorhome." She answered, giving him a weak grin.

* * *

Mid-day came and the four young adults had made it into central Washington, near the building the original conference the Professor and the teachers were to attend was held. They knew that's where at least the Professor would be, they'd seen reports on the news enough times to know. 

After havng escaped the army, they'd had to continue their journey on foot, Remy and Jubilee taking it in turns to piggy-back Rogue. An hour's walking later and they reached a small, trashy garage next door to an equaly trashy diner. Once they'd got directions from one of the waitresses inside the diner, they hitched a ride in the back of a truck thanks to Kitty.

Now, the four were hidden behind a building, watching the swarm of journalists and photographers which had gathered outside the building which they knew the Professor had to be in. Kitty and Remy were looking out from around the corner of the building while Jubilee helped Rogue stay up on her feet a foot or so behind them.

"D'you think there's half as many 'round the back?" Kitty asked Remy, her eyes darting around to look at various bits of the swarm of media ahead.

"Prob'ly not." Remy replied simply.

"I should phase us in through the back then?" She checked, moving away from the corner to face the other two girls.

"But no one will see us if we go in that way." Jubilee pointed out.

"...Yeah?" Kitty agreed, her tone questioning.

"We need to cause a scene." Jubilee told them, her tone implying it should've been obvious.

"Whah?" Rogue questioned from beside her.

"To get the sympathy vote duh! If everyone thinks we've suffered then we're less likely to get in that much trouble."

Everyone wsa silent for a few moments, not really knowing how to respond to that idea. The, Rogue spoke up: "That maht actually work."

"You're not serious!" Kitty groaned.

"Yeah. Think abaht it; frightened mutant teenagers on the run for a crime they didn't commit. The papers would have a field day what with the growing increase in mutant exceptance and support nah." Rogue predicted, Jubilee grinning smugly beside her.

"Yo' in no condition for causin' a scene chere." Remy pointed out.

"Ah'm fahne!" Rogue insisted, pulling away from Jubilee so she could stand on her own. She looked a little unsteady for a second but it passed so quickly that none of them could be sure they'd actually seen it. "Ya see? Fahne."

"Okay, we'll do t'ings yo'r way dhen." Remy conceeded through a sigh.

"Yes!" Jubilee hissed triumphantly, bringing her right hand up to her chest and clenching it.

"So what do we do? Just charge up there and start yelling?" Kitty questioned half-heartedly.

"No, of course not." Jubilee answered, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Do you have no idea how to cause a scene? What we do is this..."

* * *

The mass of media representatives swarmed around the perimeter of the building, all eager to get hold of any information which leaked out. It had been four days since the robbery and since day one, the famous Professor Charles Xavier had protested the innocence of his students and teachers. On day two, those who had been arrested were released when the security cameras at the school were found to show them all in or around the school at the time of the robbery. One of the main suspects though, the one known only as Rogue, was first seen entering the school again thirty minutes after the robbery had taken place. That along with the fact she and the other three suspects were still running wasn't helping her situation. It was rumoured however, that she had been attending her father's funeral at the time of the robbery, but there was no solid proof of that.

There was another congressional hearing today for the fifth day in a row. Charles Xavier would continue to insist the innocence of his students and the politicians and authorities would continue, what was basically, scare mongering. The situation was quickly dividing the population in all states; those who were against the mutants and so thought the teenagers guilty and those who sympathised with them and so believed in their innocence.

The sudden howling of fireworks caught everyone's attention; media and security alike. All eyes looked to the sky before, after seeing nothing, looking behind. That's when they saw the four young mutants, whose faces the whole country knew, running towards them. Well, one was being carried on the only male's back while he and the other two girls ran. The asian girl was the one providing the fireworks and, curiously, they were all holding hands.

The area was instantly lit up with flashes of white light as the photographers began to snap their cameras, capturing as many images of the four as they could. The reporters all reached for their tape recorders in preperation for the interview they all felt was surely coming their way.

The four got closer and closer and, strangely, were showing no signs of slowing down. Pictures continued to be snapped right up until the moment the four young mutants started running right through them all. A startled panic rose up and everyone began to shuffle around, all trying to see where exactly the four had gone. Brief glimpses were caught as they phased through the crowd but they weren't fully seen again until they emerged on the other side of the crowd.

The photographers started up again immediately as the four mutants phased through the security barriors and guards with ease. Then, they disappeared through the walls of the building.

* * *

"There, that got their attention." Jubilee grinned as they emerged from the wall of the building, now on the inside surrounded by white walls and boring grey carpet. "Those pictures are gonna look good on the front page. I can just see the head-line; United in Fear." 

"You really do live in your own little world don't you?" Kitty panted, worn out from the running on top of the extended use of her powers.

"Which way d'ya'll think we should go?" Rogue asked before the other two girls could get into an argument.

"We could split up." Jubilee suggested as they turned a corner.

"No' a good idea petite. Bes' to stay toget'er." Remy disagreed, shifting Rogue on his back slightly.

"Right." Kitty agreed. "We'll stay together and check out this floor before we find the stairs and go up to the next floor."

No one voiced an agreement but none of them disputed it either so it was wordlessly decided on. Things are never that simple though and soon the familiar situation of turning a corner and being confronted by a group of authority figured occured. They all joined hands again and simply carried on running, phasing through the group of men. At the end of the corridor, they turned another corner which was luckily empty.

"I can't keep doing this." Kitty panted weakly, slowing to a stop and leaning against a wall. Jubilee was at her side in an instant. "I need to rest, even if it's only for a second."

Remy and Rogue glanced around themselves quickly and Remy spotted a set of double doors about two feet behind them. "We'll hide in dhere for a little while." He said, heading over there, thinking it was a storage room or at least just an empty room.

Suddenly, just as Jubilee had managed to get Kitty into a suitable position to support her, gun-shots through silencers suddenly came from the security guards who had caught up with them. Rogue instantly stretched her arm out to them and used her borrowed magnetism to stop the bullets in mid-air. Pain coursed through her entire being but although she gave a small whine, she didn't stop what she was doing. None of them were going to be able to easily open the doors so Kitty braced herself and with an amazing burst of effort, grabbed Remy and yanked them all back, phasing through the doors. All four stumbled back awkwardly into the room, the momentum continuing for quite a while. Finally, Remy was able to steady himself and Rogue whereas Kitty and Jubilee tumbled to the floor. And then a collective gasp sounded. The four froze; they hadn't gasped...

Slowly, they all turned to see a conference room full of people, most notable the Professor and Jean who were up at the front, obviously either about to or in the middle of addressing the rest of the room. At the sigh, Rogue and Kitty both let out small puffs of air and allowed themselves to slump forward knowing they really didn't have to do anything anymore. However, everyone else seemed to take those actions as cause for concern as soon, most of the teachers were rushing towards them.

"Now that," Jubilee whispered to her three friends, a huge grin on her face. "Is how to cause a scene."

* * *

Safe at last! Yay :) And, for those of you who were following it, (that means you Freak87 :D) It brings us to the end of the infamous "Shopping Bag Saga".  
Hmm...I'm not keen on this chapter personaly. Not one of my bests. But hey, that's just me, maybe you guys all liked it. I hope that's the case :)  
Catch ya'll next time :)

Hugs  
Dream


	28. Chapter 28

Hi everyone :)

Random fact time: 1 out of 20 people have an extra rib O.o

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Good to hear everything's great for you :)

Wiccangurl: Glad you liked it, hope you like this one too :)

sakura5tar: You loved it? Yay! That makes me so happy :)

Lucy Wood: My update will come as soon as possible just because you asked so nicely :)

ishandahalf: Glad you liked everything in the last chapter. I'm afraid my bunnies are out of crack at the moment. They're had to start drinking a lot of soda instead O.o

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Ooo, suspence...I don't have enough patience to enjoy suspence :D

Freak87: Yes, the saga has ended...Sniff...It's like a mini ending to prepare us all for the big, real ending. I would say making a scene is just part of Jubilee's personality. That and she's probably been watching too much tv :D

LucreziaNoin86: That is such a relief to hear you say that :)

Lyra Eyota: Glad you're liking everything so far. I'll be sure to keep up the good work :)

Anna Marie Raven: Yes, the genius from Jubilee's infinate fountain of knowledge has the ability to help all of us...O.o

ObsedianFox13: You thought that was a cliffy ending? I actually thought that was a rather un-cliffy ending...I can see why you think it is though.

Crazy4Cocopuffs: Well, I don't know about aliens making you dress in drag and do the hula but when I was in there...  
(Crackle, fizz, crackle...Hi, you don't know us, we're not from the government or anything, DEFINATELY not from the government. We just thought we'd say hi to you at this exact moment in time...And now we wait...Few more seconds...Bit more...Okay, and now we can say bye. Remember, we're not the government, we swear!...Crackle, fizz, crackle)  
...And then they give you a snow cone which I thought was really nice of them. I would've loved to have stayed but then the guards came and chased me out. Anyways, so now you know what's really in Area 51 :D

IvyZoe: The ROMY goodness has had to be delayed but I swear there'll be a nice, hefty dose of it next chapter. And we'll all very soon find out what exactly what Head Remy is thinking and feeling.

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it, here's the update :)

chicita: Yep, Jubilee and Kitty know about Rogue's extra powers.

Anna: That's very true...I never looked at it that way...Gonna have to mention something about that.

CalliopeMused: The problem shall be resolved? Maybe it will, maybe it won't, you'll have to wait and see :D

adrenaline addict: Even in a life threatening situation, there's always time for the ROMYness :D Even more in this very chapter.

Coletterby: Glad to hear the other chapter was approved of :) Hope this one is just as good.

One more chapter down, seven more chapters left now!  
Okay, an apology to all who were expecting ROMY action in this chapter. I am so very, very, very sorry that I couldn't fit it in this chapter. I've had to push it back to next chapter. But it's good ROMY stuff coming up! I swear it is! So please don't kill me :)

* * *

The next six days were hectic for everyone at Xavier's School for Gifted Younsters; so many things were hapening all at once.

First, there was the battle to keep Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee and, (at Rogue insistence) Remy out of prison. Rogue and Kitty had been fairly easy as it was obvious that they both needed mutant-specialised medical treatment. Jubilee had been a little harder but in the end they had used her age as a reason. Remy, however, had been almost impossible. Not only was there no real reason to not send him to jail until he was proven innocent, most of the teachers, Logan especially, really wanted him away from Rogue. Rogue, Kitty and Jubilee kept insisting though and eventually the Professor conceeded. None of them were completely sure how he'd managed to save Remy, but he did do it and that was enough for the three girls.

Once that was sorted out, there came the task of clearing Rogue and Remy from their charges. It actually proved to be amazingly easy. Rogue managed to get in contact with Evelyn who was all too happy to confirm their innocence, giving the time which Rogue and Remy had left the funeral, proving that there was no way they could've been back in time to rob the jewelry store when they were supposed to. Also, the police had found patches of blood from two different people on some of the glass cases which had been smashed in. Both Rogue and Remy consented to blood tests and, obviously, the results showed that neither of the blood samples matched with their blood samples.

However, despite being cleared of the robbery, there was still the issue of the numourours laws which the four had broken whilst on the run: resisting arrest, dangerous driving, damaging government property, grand theft auto, driving without a licence and ABH were but a few of the charges being pressed against them. That had almost totally screwed them up. But when the treatment the four of them had suffered started to get out to the press there was a public out-cry, especially with the news that Rogue had actually been shot. Plus, with the revelation of the tanks and explosives which were used, which had not been ordered by the government and were the result of corruption in the army, protestors began to flood the streets demanding justice. Eventually, the Courts had no choice but to drop all charges by way of conpensation to them.

All done? Of course not. Once all the legal drama had been put to rest, the emotional and relationship drama came right up to take it's turn. Without the prospect of the three girls being sent to jail, the teachers and Logan were free to gang up on Remy and start demanding answers. Even after Rogue had explained everything, leaving out the secret parts of course, it took a lot to convince the adults that Remy wasn't a threat to her and she didn't manage to convince Logan at all.

After that came Rogue's explanation as to how she managed to heal her gun-shot wound. It was obvious that the injury would be brought up but that didn't mean Rogue had bothered to think up a reason or explanation for it. When confronted about how she'd healed so quickly, she'd mumbled out the lamest and vaguest of all comments:

"Ah keep the powers of the mutants Ah absorb."

Thankfully, because Rogue wasn't a doctor and mutants not understanding their own abilities wasn't exactly uncommon, she wasn't pressed for much more information which could've led to a slip of the tongue on her part. The Professor and the teachers still didn't know about the headaches, the loss of control and the voices and while they continued to not know, Rogue could happily pretend that they'd never know.

By the time all of that was sorted out, they were well on their way back to the school, aka home. During the journey, after a non-threatening interview, (in other words, not in the presence of Logan) the Professor had not only asked Remy to stay at the school but also to join the X-Men. The sudden extreme acceptance surprised everyone, most of all Remy. However, he didn't let his shock stop him and wasted no time in accepting the offer. He was just glad for the oppotunity to stay as close to Rogue as possible.

The whole school was very welcoming, even the teachers once they were positive he didn't have some alteria motive other than to stay close to Rogue. And by saying "the whole school", that obviously doesn't include Bobby, who was still hung up on Rogue, and Logan. It was painfully obvious from the start that Logan wasn;t going to like/approve/tollerate Remy. He was hardly a people person at the best of times and that combined with his "Rogue complex", him liking Remy to any degree couldn't really be expected.

So, it was for this reason that we arrive at our currant situation; Rogue and Remy hiding in Kitty and Jubilee's room. It was the only place that they could think of where they wouldn't be checked on every five seconds to make sure they were "behaving" themselves as had been the situation on the first day back. Like they would do anything"naughty"what with Rogue's skin and all.

"What exactly are you planning to do when classes start again?" Kitty inquired from where she sat on the edge of her bed. She was in front of a full length mirror, dressed in a flannel mint green dressing gown with her one side of her hair wet, the other dry and perfectly straight, a straightening iron in hand.

"Ah'm trahin' not to think abaht it until the very last second possible." Rogue answered, her head resting on Remy's knee from where she sat on the floor beside the chair he sat on. Her eyes were shut tiredly despite the comforting feel of Remy's fingers softly fingering a few strands of her hair.

"The school's not gonna stay broken for much longer you know." Jubilee pointed out.

"Ah'm aware of that." Rogue muttered.

"Maybe you should start the "coming out" progress right now." Kitty suggested, turning around and looking at her three friends as she flipped the switch on the straightening irons off.

"Ya said ya didn't mahnd us bein' in here!" Rogue protested, her eyes flashing open and her head shooting up.

"I don't mind but you two can't keep putting off facing the rest of the school forever. You need to show them all that Remy's here to stay. Plus, I need to get dressed, so out." Kitty ordered, making a shooing motion with her hands.

Remy and Rogue reluctantly rose to their feet and trudged towards the door. Jubilee also got to her feet and began to follow them out. When Rogue noticed this, she stopped, also stopping Remy and Jubilee.

"Erm, Jubes? This is your room too, Ah don't think ya meant to leave as well." She pointed out.

"Oh, yeah..." Jubilee mumbled, glancing at Kitty out of the corner of her eye and blushing slightly. "I, erm, just thought you could use a bit of privacy."

"Since when has privacy meant anything to you?" Kitty asked incredulously. "I've lost count of the amount of times you've walked in on me changing."

"Yeah, but, things are different now." Jubilee reminded, sounding awkward.

"Why?" Kitty inquired.

"Well, because I know how you feel about me now." Jubilee mumbled, putting emphasis on the word "feel".

"...Huh?" Kitty frowned, now completely confused.

"Because now I know you're in love with me." Jubilee said quickly, her tone frustrated.

Silence filled the room and it was hard to tell who looked the most shocked out of the other three in the room. No one spoke or moved and if a pin had dropped on the other side of the school, they probably would've heard it.

Eventually, Remy broke the silence: "Yo' know wha', Kitty got a point. We really shouldn' hide in here a second longer, righ' chere?"

"Raht. We'll see ya both later." Rogue quickly bid farewell before she and Remy bolted out of the room, slamming the door after them.

The silence once again took over as Kitty just continued to stare at Jubilee, who shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. Finally, Kitty broke the intense stare by covering her face with her hands. She let out a small groan and rubbed her eyes for a moment before speaking: "Where, the Hell, did you get the idea that I'm in love with you from?" She demanded, her voice coming out a little muffled from behind her hands.

"You told me remember? That night after Rogue was shot." Jubilee mumbled.

Kitty lowered her hands slightly so they were only covering her mouth and she could clearly look at Jubilee. After a second, her hands fell away from her face completely, fully revealing her aghast expression. "What!" She yelled at the top of her voice, startling Jubilee a little. "You thought I meant...Oh my God, you are such a complete moron! I only meant as a friend thicko!"

"So...You're not in love with me?" Jubilee checked, not even noticing the harsh names she was being called.

"No!" Kitty cried.

"Oh good, that's a relief." Jubilee sighed happily, diving onto her bed once again. "You can go ahead and change now. Don't mind me."

Kitty glared at her room mate angrily before grabbing her clothes and storming out of the room. The door slamming shut behind her made Jubilee look up from a magazine she was now browsing through briefly before turning back to it as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Remy and Rogue had nearly run down the corridor outside Kitty and Jubilee's room, intent on escaping the awkward situation. Only when they were sure they were a safe distance away from the danger zone did they resume a more casual pace.

"Go' any idea wha' dhat was all abou'?" Remy inquired with a wide grin as he brought his arm around Rogue's shoulders and pulled her closer to his side.

"No clue. Ah'm sure we'll be told all abaht it later though." The sound of a distant door slamming reached their ears. "From a very pissed ahff Kitty no doubt."

"Why do yo' t'ink dhat was Kitty?" Remy asked, his tone amused.

"Just a hunch." Rogue replied with a broad grin. Remy grinned back at her and bent down slightly to kiss the top of her head.

They continued on slowly, Remy's arm still around her shoulders, keeping her to his side. Unconsciously, they headed to the kitchen mostly because there was no where else to go. Although the teachers hadn't come right out and said, they both knew that they were forbidden by the teachers Rogue's bedroom. When a corner was turned however, their trip was delayed when they both saw Bobby and a few others walking down the corridor towards them.

"C'mahn, let's take the elavator." Rogue murmured, turning around to go back in the direction they'd just come before Bobby or those he was with could spot them. Once they'd turned the corner again though, they found Logan coming towards them. "Ya know, Ah think Ah'll just teleport us dahn..."

"No chere." Remy interrupted her change of mind. "Kitty's righ'; we need to start showin' ourselves to dhe res' of dhe school, includin' dhe ones who aren' Remy's bigges' fans."

"But it's Logan!" Rogue whinned quietly, hoping Logan was still far away enough to not hear her. Remy just gave her a pointed look which she frowned at. After muttering a few choice phrases under her breath, she put on her best smile for the fast approaching Wolverine. "Haa Logan." She greeted warmly as he passed them. He didn't answer. "Logan, can't ya at least be civil?" She asked, unable to hide the annoyance in her voice. Logan kept on walking.

"Forge' it Marie, he go' no manners." Remy said in a slightly raised voice, intending to catch Logan's attention with the mild insult. He succeeded; he did catch Logan's attention. Within seconds, he had been shoved against the wall of the corridor with triplet metal blades pressed very lightly against his neck. However, the real reason he had caught Logan's attention was soon revealed.

"What did you call her?" Logan growled angrily.

"Logan stop!" Rogue ordered, pulling on the arm which was keeping Remy pinned to the wall. Logan released his hold on Remy but kept his claws pointing to his neck.

"You told him your real name?" Logan barked at her harshly.

"It's a name Logan, not a marriage licence!" Rogue yelled back at him.

"You're mutant name is for your own protection, you know that!" Logan reminded, his tone still furious but lowering in volume.

"Ah don't need protectin' from Remy!" Rogue insisted.

With that said, as if on cue, the theme tune to Star Wars began to play. Both Logan and Rogue turned to look at Remy, both clearly annoyed with the tune. Remy looked back at them a little sheepishly for a moment before looking down and reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out his mobile phone and glanced at the caller ID on the screen quickly.

"Excuse Remy for a sec, he gotta take dhis." Remy excused himself quickly, ducking away from Logan's claws and going off back down the corridor, the phone glued to his ear. Logan growled in hid throat and looked as if he was about to go after Remy but Rogue remained standing defiantly in his way.

"What the Hell is ya deal? Whah do ya not trust Remy?" She demanded sternly. "Everyone else has given him a chance."

"That's 'cause everyone else seems to have a two second memory and have forgotten the fact that the Cajun kidnapped you." Logan grunted, retracting his claws.

"Oh for crahin' aht...Ah've already explained that! It was planned!" Rogue reminded heatedly.

"I smelt your fear Marie, you can't fake that."

"Well of course we had to make it as convincing as possible otherwise ya'll would've thahght Ah'd just run awahy and Ah'd get in trouble agahn." Rogue muttered as if it were obvious. "Ah have never been in any real harm from Remy, ya got no need to protect me from him."

"Yes I do Marie!" Logan insisted. "I came back to protect you and that's what I'm gonna do!"

"Ah don't need ya to protect me though!" Rogue cried, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Ah ain't the same girl ya met in that bar in Laughlin City. Ah've grown up, Ah can look after mahself."

Logan was silent for a few moments before he released a small, annoyed growl and turned to leave. "If that's the way you feel then you've just made up my mind for me."

"Abaht what?" Rogue asked, suddenly quiet at Logan's sudden change of tone and manner.

"I'm leavin'."

"Ya...Ya leavin'?" Rogue gasped, a little dismayed at the revalation. "When?"

"Now." He grunted, his back still to her.

"Nah! Ain't that a little short notice?" Rogue tried to argue.

"Been thinkin' 'bout it for the past week. Decided for sure yesterday." He revealed.

Rogue blood ran cold as realisation dawned on her. "If ya hadn't seen me nah...Ya weren't even gonna tell me were ya?"

Logan said nothing and simlpy walked away. Rogue felt tears sting the backs of her eyes and she bit her bottom lip to stop them from falling. Her head dropped and her eyes screwed shut tightly as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She stayed like that for quite some time.

* * *

Yes, I know it's quite a bit shorter than usual but this was just a chapter to get a lot of stuff out of the way. Huge apologies for the shortness. Also, I guarantee that there will be a huge ROMY scene next chapter. I swear there will be! Honest! 

Hugs  
Dream


	29. Chapter 29

Hi everyone :)

Welcome one, welcome all to this very special chapter. Why is this chapter very special I hear you ask? Well, I shall tell you. This chapter is very special because today is very special because yoday is MY BIRTHDAY! BIG YAY! I'm 18 years old this very day. I finally have the power to vote and I am one step closer to world domination :D So, to everyone, I give you party poppers and birthday cake in celebration :), now one with review replies:

enchantedlight: Glad ya liked it, here's the update :)

Anna Marie Raven: Lol, I'm glad you liked everything so much :)

Shaishe: Good :)

ishandahalf: Glad you're liking everything. As for the Bobby getting jealous issue, I have a nice little scene plan with him in it :D (evil cackle as I rub my hands together)

CalliopeMused: Yeah, I was gonna do a Bobby fight but then I realised that I realy don't like Bobby and having a fight with him would mean I'd have to write about him...Really don't wanna do that :D

LucreziaNoin86: I'm happy to hear you're liking everything so much :)

IvyZoe: Head Remy is coming the chapter after next and there is a reason why he hasn't been mentioned for ages and a reason Rogue hasn't thought about him for ages. They're not just plot holes, honest!

Shira's Song: So many compliments (blush) I'm glad you're approving of everything :)

sakura5tar: One of your favourite fics ever? Wow (sniff) that's so nice :)

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Hope this update came quick enough. I tried my best, I really did!

Wiccangurl: Glad ya liked it and here's the next one :)

chaotic pink chocobo: Glad ya liked and can I just say that's a great name :D

Crazy4Cocopuffs: Yes, you're right about the meaning of ABH and it was never really specified but think of the amount of soldiers who got hurt with all the explosions which were floating around :D

Lucy Wood: Glad to hear you loved it :) Hope this update came soon enough for you :)

Nicki-hunny: Hmm, I could tell you somethng to cheer you up since you seem so dismayed at the direction that the story has taken but I fear that would give away too much. Therefore, you're just gonna have to wait :D

adrenaline addict: Wolverine sounds intimidating but have you seen real life wolverines? Not so scary. As for the ROMY, I swear there's some in this chapter, just scroll down a little and you'll get some, honest!

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Yeah, Logan was a real jerk in that chapter. I'm glad you liked it so much and I hope this update came soon enough for you :)

Anna: I like the way you said poor Kitty yet still put in a smile :D I'm glad you liked everything.

chicita: The ROMY goodness is in this very chapter, this one right here :D

Coletterby: No way I could not post for four months, I'd start feeling guilty lol

Freak87: A lot of questions were brought up there and I'm not allowed to answer any of them at the moment! MWAHAHA! (clears throat) You'll find out soon though, promise you will :)

6 more chapters to go now! Just 6!  
I'm surprised at how much everyone seemed to really love last chapter. I get the feeling that the majority/all of you, thought that it was one of the best chapters in a while which is always nice to find out :) And I'm hoping that everyone will love this chapter as well because it's so full of ROMY sweetness I think I may have a few cavities because of it :D

* * *

While deep in his conversation on his mobile phone, Remy had continued his unconscious journey to the kitchen and that was where he was found by Rogue several minutes after they had parted from each other. His back was to her as she entered the kitchen and his phone was no longer pressed to his ear. He just stood completely still with his hands in his coat pockets, staring neutraly through the conservatory and out into the garden.

"Hey." Rogue greeted him gently as she moved closer to him.

"Hey." He returned, turning his upper body to look at her. "How'd t'ings go?" He inquired, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she reached his side.

"Not good; he's leavin' again." She revealed, looking straight ahead to the garden just as Remy had been doing moments before.

"Oh." Was the only reply as Remy followed her gaze.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked, not bothering to look at him as she rested her head against the side of his chest.

"...My brodher..."

"Woah, must be serious; ya spoke in first person." Rogue joked weakly earning an equally weak smile from Remy. "What's wrong? Is it ya father again?"

"Dunno. He wouldn' give me a straigh' answer. Jus' insisted I need to go back to Louisianna."

"Ah see...So, when are ya goin'?"

"I'm not."

"What?" Rogue gasped, finally moving to look up at him.

"I'm not gon' go." He repeated, still not looking at her.

"But hah? Hah can ya not go?"

"It's pretty easy chere; Remy jus' stay here."

"That ain't what Ah meant and you know it." Rogue chided. "Hah can ya just turn ya back on ya family when they ask for ya help?"

"Dhey're no' my family. Dhey're a group of strangers who clot'ed and fed me for a price, not jus' ou' of dhe goodness of dheir hearts. Yo' wanna know who my family is?" He asked, finally looking down at Rogue. "You are. You're dhe only family I'll ever want. As far as I'm concerned, no one else in dhis world matters except yo' Marie. Yo're dhe only one I care about' more dhan myself and yo' know dhat's sayin' somet'in'."

Rogue gave a small smile at his confession and the small joke he'd managed to sneak in at the end. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she slowly slid the ever-useful scarf from around her neck. She drapped it over her face and wwithin mere seconds, Remy's lips had decended on hers. After a few of Remy having his fun with slow, teasing kisses and nips, he lifted Rogue off of her feet, holding her hips tightly, and sat her on one of the counter tops so that she was a head higher than he was. Experiance with her had taught him that she was more comfortable when she had the most control of the situation. As he expected, she took advantage of the altered position istantly, bringing her hands up to the sides of Remy's face to tilt his head back for better leverage. The kiss deepened, their tongues met and tangled with each other and the scarf.

They were completely swept away with each other, caught totally in the moment. It was only the sound of a near-by door closing which brought Rogue back to reality and she remembered exactly where they were. She wasn't overly enthustiastic about the idea of someone walking in on them. So, albeite slightly reluctantly, she pulled away from their kiss, letting her gloved hands fall to rest on Remy's shoulders. They were both panting ever so slightly as she pulled the scarf away and rested her forehead against Remy's. Both had their eyes shut lightly and neither spoke for a while as they caughts their breathes.

Eventually, Rogue opened her eyes a crack to look down at Remy and spoke softly: "Ya have to go."

"Tryin' to ge' rid o' me?" Remy murmured back huskily, his tone showing no signs od humour but the slightly smile he wore confirming that the question wasn't too serious.

"Course naht, Ah'd rather keep ya here all to mahself." She assured through a small laugh. Remy gave a small chuckle as well before silence resumed. Rogue studied Remy's face for a second or so before sighing quietly, the smile slipping from her face. "Ya only gonna regret it if ya don't go, ya know ya will."

Remy opened his eyes once more and looked directly into Rogue's. They stayed that way for ages, just studying each other, their foreheads still resting against each other. Finally, Remy took his turn to sign. He tightened his arms around Rogue's waist and pulled her closer so her arms had to come around his neck. Rogue manouvered her head so that her hair fell into a suitable place to protect the bare skin of Remy's neck from her face as he brought her head to rest on his shoulder, his hand remaining lightly on the back of it.

"Gon' leave firs' t'ing tomorrow dhen." He murmured sadly, his head leaning to rest on hers slightly.

"Kay." Rogue whispered the acknowledgement; her hands lightly gripping the fabric of his shirt. She already missed him and he hadn't even left her arms yet.

* * *

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and, in order to keep themselves amused, Kitty and Jubilee sat on the floor of their bedroom playing draughts. Jubilee sat across from where Kitty was slouched against her bed, her legs crossed and her back arched over as she studied the pieces of coloured plastic carefully. Beside her were the ten black counters which she had taken from Kitty. Next to Kitty were the two red counters she had taken from Jubilee. Neither girl could actually remember a time when Jubilee had won so, understandably, Jubilee was gloating terribly.

"Oooh, you've had this coming to you for a long time." Jubilee grinned at the bored looking Kitty when she'd finally decided on her move. The Asian girl picked up one of her red plastic counters and jumped one of the two remaining black counters. After laying down the red counter, she grabbed hold of the black one and held it out at Kitty. "Ha ha haha ha, I'm gonna beat you!" Jubilee taunted, waving the small counter in front of Kitty's face.

Kitty just stared at Jubilee neutraly as she basically acted like a child. When her friend was finally finished, Kitty released a small sigh and reached for her final counter. Then, she proceeded to jump nine of the remaining ten red counters, her black counter ending up at the very end of the board on Jubilee's side.

"King me." Kitty ordered simply, leaning back against the bottom of her bed again. Jubilee stared at her in disbelief and before she could say or do anything, their bedroom door burst open and a very angry Rogue stomped in.

"Where the fuck can that stupid Swamp Rat be?" She yelled angrily, waving her mobile phone around.

"Still not answering?" Jubilee asked sympathetically.

"His phone is switched ahff! It's been fahve days already! Fahve days of nothin'! He could be in trouble; he could be dead!" Rogue wailed, letting herself fall head-first onto Jubilee's bed which was the closest to her.

"He's gone to sort out family troubles, I'm sure he's just a bit busy." Kitty tried to reassure.

"No, he promised he'd call and even if he forgot, his phone would still be on." Rogue insisted, her face remaining where it was buried into her arms. "Somethin's happened to him, it has to have."

"He's with his family; what could've possibly have happened to him?" Jubilee questioned, trying to make her friend see things more rationally.

"Ah don't know!" Rogue cried, exasperated, as she arched her back so the top half of her body was slightly off of the bed. "Maybe the Assassins got to him before he reached his family or maybe the whole thing was just a set up."

"I'm sure he's fine Rogue." Kitty told her gently.

"Well thank ya Kitty, hearin' that just makes everythin' so much better." Rogue grunted better, relaxing her back and slumping back onto the bed.

"If you're so worried why don't you just go and find him?" Kitty suggested, totally un-phased by Rogue's attitude; she'd dished out much worse to both of her friends on a far more regular basis. Rogue moved her head from her arms so that she could look at Kitty. "From what you've told us, you know vaguely where he is and you'll no doubt run into at least one familiar face who you can ask about him." Kitty reasoned once she was sure Rogue wasn't going to just immediately dismiss the idea.

Rogue considered the possibility. It made sense. She did know the area where the Assassins' hide-out was and, even if she didn't find Remy, she'd at least put her mind to rest that he hadn't been snatched by them. Plus, she'd be closer to finding him in person and therefore more able to give gim a piece of her mind for making her worry so much.

"Fhane, Ah will go fahnd him." Rogue confirmed easily.

"Ooo, can I come?" Jubilee asked quickly.

"If ya want Ah s'pose." Rogue shrugged, not really bothered that much. It would be handy to have some extra help but it wasn't essential.

"I'm coming too then." Kitty informed.

"Wanna keep ya ahye on the girl ya love hmm?" Rogue teased with a wide grin.

"Shut up." Kitty muttered darkly.

* * *

Night-time. All was quiet except for the very faint noise of the TV playing in the sitting room. Three figures slipped down dark corridors and tip-toed down the stairs. They remained in the shadows, avoiding the odd pool of moon light which filtered in through the various windows. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the three figures had to quickly duck for cover as a short figure plodded out of the sitting room and headed towards the kitchen. When they were positive that they were in no more danger of being discovered, the three figures hurridly rushed over to the front door. Upon reaching it, the tallest figure opened the door, the sounds of the night instantly filling the immediate area.

All of a sudden, yellow light flooded the hall-way and revealed Jubilee with her hand still resting on the door handle and Kitty and Rogue standing just behind her. They all froze momentarily, too afraid at the thought of who they might see if they turned around. Then, almost as if she couldn't take the situation anymore, Rogue swung her body around quickly to see who was behind her. To her great relief, she found only Tony, leaning against the wall next to the light-switch with a glass of water in his left hand.

"You gonna go find your boyfriend?" The young boy asked simply. Rogue could only nod mutely. "Kay, if you're not back in three days I'll avenge your deaths." He said completely seriously though there was a playful glint in his eyes as he turned the light off.

The three girls watched his black figure pad back into the sitting room and, only when he was completely gone from their sight, did they slip out of the front door, gently pulling it shut after them. Once again, all was quiet and all was dark.

* * *

Yes, okay, I know it was again very short but at least there was delicious ROMYness in it. Next chapter will be miles longer, I promise it will be and you all know I always keep my promises, (angelic smile)  
Anyways, that's all from me for this time. I'm off to go and fiddle with my presents :D 

Hugs  
Dream


	30. Chapter 30

Hi everyone :)

Random fact of the chapter: No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times O.o

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Update came as quickly as I could manage.

enchantedlight: Glad you liked it, here's the update :)

ishandahalf: Hey, I like all presents and cards too :D I'm glad you liked everything and Remy leaving was a neccessity I'm afraid. Don't worry, he doesn't stay gone for long.

LucreziaNoin86: Thank you and I'm glad to hear it :)

CalliopeMused: Oh yes, Louisiana is gonna be a blast :D (evil thoughts)

Lucy Wood: Yep, I got everything wanted, thank ya for wishing :)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Thank you for the birthday cheers :) I'm glad you liked everything from last chapter so much.

adrenaline addict: Hmm, Remy being okay...Depends on your definition of okay really :D (evil snicker)

Anna: Good point about the teachers being worried, I didn't skip that on purpose, I'm planning a few, hopefully, classic one liners from either Kitty or Jubilee on that subject.

sakura5tar: I had a great day thank ya much :) I'm really sorry about the length of the last chapter, I've tried to make this one as long as possible.

chicita: I don't think it's possible to od on ROMY, you can never have too much :D

IvyZoe: Not enough ROMY? There was that huge delicious ROMY scene! There is, however, some ROMYness in here though so you've got your wish granted :)

Coletterby: Yes, sigh, if only all things could be like ROMY goodness. I could eat all the cake I wanted then :D

Friend to All: And there was me thinking you had got bored. I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK! (hugs you tightly)

Gep: 1 - I don't mind what order you review in just as long as you review :)  
2 - You shouldn't be jealous about the amounts of reviews other people get. I find the amount of reviews depends on what the story is and the length of it. You should see some of the stories in the Harry Potter section; not half as long as this one with twice as many reviews.  
3 - Chapter 2 was better than 3 hmm? Interesting...  
4 - (joins screaming fan-girl in passing out) :D  
5 - New reviewer! Welcome to the story. I'm glad you're enjoying everything so much and thank you for the compliments, they make me feel all warm inside :)  
6 - More compliments which still makes me feel all warm inside :)  
7 - I've had a lot of people call me evil for this story; I actually take it as a compliment :D  
8 - You should feel pretty lucky that you can find these things out straight away; everyone else had to wait for updates lol  
9 - Ooo, a muffin! (clutches muffin to my cheek) I'm gonna call him Charlie :)  
10 - I'm kinda glad you find it frustrating; more entertaining for me :D  
11- Your hamster died too? We could start a support group :D  
12 - Nope, no cheating allowed, that's not in the spirit of the story is it?

I am so sorry for the delay in this update! I'm suffering from absolutely massive writer's block with this story at the moment and writing this chapter was a huge struggle. If it wasn't for the fact that we're a mere 4 or 5 chapters away from from the end I would be sorely tempted to discontinue it. That's not the case though and I refuse to just simply abandon this fic after all the time and effort I've put into it. The end will come, it might just come very slowly :D  
Time for a game I think. That'll make it all the more exciting in a weird kinda way...O.o...Anyways, there's a reference to a movie besides X-Men in here. It's a small thing but it's definately there. Big hugs to anyone who finds it :)

Enough from me, on with the chapter:

* * *

"Uck, it's awfully dusty in here. Cold too." 

"Stop complainin'. What did ya expect; first class transportation?"

"Well no but I expected something a little better than this. Better yet, I don't see why you couldn't have just teleported us there."

"Rogue needs to save her strength duh."

"We could've taken a cab or something then."

"Got enough money for that do ya?"

"We could've all pitched in a little."

"Do you have any idea how much it would cost to get a cab from the school to Louisiana?"

"She's got a point Jubes."

"Yeah, but, still, it is really dusty in here."

* * *

"Aw man, I love teleporting so much!" 

"Lord knows why; makes me feel ill."

"Is this the place?"

"Yep, this is their hahdeaht."

"It's huge! What d'ya reckon the rent is on a place like that?"

"I think it's highly doubtful they pay rent."

"Hey look, what d'ya think they're doin'?"

"Looks like they're gonna hang a banner above the front door."

"Eww gross, I stepped in something squishy!"

"Whah would they be hangin' up a banner?"

"Annual Assassin convention?"

"Oh no, look! I've got green stuff all over my shoes and they're my third favourite pair of walking shoes!"

"Jubilee, will you shut up! Someone'll hear you."

"The banner's up...Ah can't make it aht though..."

"Move over, let me have a look."..."I think...Erm..."Congratulation Mr and Mrs Remy LeBeau"."

"WHAT!"

* * *

"This is the place?" 

"Yes."

"You sure?"

"Yes Ah'm sure. Ah daht those two assassins were good enough lahers to even have their psyches lah to me in mah own head."

"I still can't believe you just walked up behind them and drained both of them!"

"What can Ah say? We're in a hurry."

"All right, so we're here...Now what?"

"We bust Remyout of there."

"Duh Jubes, I meant how? Either you guys got any ideas?"

"Ooo, I know what we can do..."

* * *

The First Prespertirian Church on Gorden Street. Inside, Remy LeBeau was currently being forced through the ceremony which would legally marry him to a woman he couldn't stand. Outside of said church, two beefy, macho looking bouncer-type men stood guard; perhaps they were expecting trouble. 

The two men stood side by side in front of the entrance doors to the church, arms folded across their broad chests, looking very menacing. Just their presence alone would usually be enough to send most people scuttling away without incident. The only people who would try anything were either very brave or very stupid...

"Hey!" Kitty called to the two men from her position a few dozen feet down the road. They turned to see her standing right next to a highly polished black car which Rogue had recognised as belonging to Juli's father from an assassin in her head. "Hey you two, this car yours?"

"Why?" One of the men boomed deeply.

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering how fast I'm gonna have to run once I've done this." She grinned, holding up her key to the school.

The two men watched in horror as the key was lowered to the hood of the car and then quickly dragged down. The, long, ear drum piercing, tell-tale screech of a scratch being made reached them and they immediately charged forward. Kitty grinned triumphantly before dashing off happily, the two men in close pursuit.

Once the men were a fair distance away from the church and it would take some time for them to make their way back, Jubilee and Rogue teleported to the front doors.

"Kay Jubes, stay aht here and wait for Kitty to get back." Rogue ordered as she released the hold she had on the other girl's arm and went to open one of the doors.

"Wait!" Jubilee stalled, reaching over and grabbing Rogue's arm to stop her. "Remember to wait for the Priest to ask if there are any objections."

"This isn't a movie Jubes!" Rogue half yelled in exasperation as she yanked her arm away from her friend and slipped inside the church.

After entering the building, Rogue only had to make her way through the small entrance room before she pushed the heavy oak doors, which led into the main body of the church, open. That effectively stopped the ceremony which was currently taking place.

Looking straight down the aisle, Rogue saw some blonde woman in quite an extravagant white wedding dress standing in front of a tuxedo-clad Remy. An elderly priest stood to the side of them both, an open Bible in his hands. Dotted around the room were several armed men. Other than that though, there was no one else there. Remy's father wasn't around and there was no one there who could obviously be assumed as being his brother. It was very odd.

No one spoke or moved for several moments. Then, Rogue managed to get over her surprise enough to rediscover her ability to yell: "What the Hell is going on?"

"I could easily say dhe same t'ing to yo'!" The blonde woman yelled back angrily. "Who d'yo' t'ink yo' are bargin' in here and ruinin' mah wedding?"

Rogue's eyes flickered to Remy in order to judge his opinion on the subject of her interrupting this "wedding". His expression was actually quite comical; a cross between silent rage and lip-quivering fear. One thing which was quite clear though, he very obviously didn't want to be standing up there, about to be married. The dozen armed menonly helped to back up that theory. And that was enough for Rogue.

With a dark glare in the blonde's direction, Rogue used her borrowed magnestism to shove the armed men nearest the couple away and then began to stroll purposefully down the middle of the aisle. Noise filled the room as orders were yelled out to the assassins and they cried out in surprise as Rogue easily forced them back, using the magnetism on the copious amounts of weapons they each had on them.

When Rogue was about half way down the long aisle, she saw Remy look as if he was about to yell something. However, the blonde also seemed to notice as well because she shot a horrid glare at him. Remy's eyes screwed shut suddenly and he clutched his left hand to his chest as if in pain. Seconds later, the sound of launching fireworks came from behind Rogue. She spun around to see an assassin, armed with a knife, fall flat on his face about two feet behind her. Kitty and Jubilee were a further few feet behind, looking rather flushed.

"Isn't this just the coolest?" Jubilee gushed excitedly, sounding breathless. "It's like a mutant soap opera!"

If the situation had been different, Rogue may've laughed at that comment. As it was, she could only manage a quick weak smile before turning and continuing towards Remy, picking her pace up slightly. Seeing the blonde tugging on Remy's arm, obviously trying to get him to follow her, Rogue scowled and brought the Cyclops in her head forward. The devastating red laser shot from her eyes almost instantly and succeeded in getting the woman a suitable distance away from Remy. The sound of launching fireworks had resumed behind her and the sound of firing guns suddenly began ahead of her. Not wanting to experience the pain of being shot again, Rogue teleported away from that spot and popped back right next to Remy.

"Remy, wha' is it? What hurts?" She demanded urgently, moving to stand in front of him and then firmly gripping his shoulders.

"The ring..." He managed to grit out, showing his left hand which was decorated by a golden wedding band on his ring finger. "Belle...She's a mutant." He ended as if that piece of information would explain absolutely everything.

"Belle?" Rogue echoed in confusion, remembering the name had come up before. Looking over her shoulder, Rogue saw the blonde woman being tackled to the ground by Kitty and Jubilee who each dove at her from opposite directions,as if trying tosnap the woman in two. Once on the ground, the three females began to basically wrestle, each trying to get the upper hand in the situation.

Rogue turned her attention back to Remy and quickly seized his left hand. She grabbed the ring and gave it a swift pull. It didn't budge. Frowning, she tried again, a little harder. It still didn't give an inch. She tried putting all her weight into it, leaning all the way back so that if the ring did come off she'd fall back to the floor; it made absolutely no difference what so ever.

"For fuck sake! What is this thing, welded on?" She grumbled, opting to try magnetism now. She moved her fingers away from touching the metal and instead let them hover just above.

There was still no give no matter how hard she concentrated and, unfortunately, she was concentrating so hard that she didn't notice Kitty and Jubilee's cries as they were knocked away roughly by Belle. Remy's attempts to warn her didn't register in her mind either. So, when a pair of bare hands wrapped around her equally bare neck, she wasn't prepared for the on-slaught of emotions and memories which flooded into her.

Before Rogue could get away and break contact, reality melded together in a mass of confused goop.

* * *

"Excuse me!...Excuse me! Excuse...Is this fucking thing even ahn?...Oh, there's a switch...Nah..."

Ear drum piercing megaphone feedback.

"Oh! Yes, that's much better."

Clears throat.

"Excuse me, if Ah could just have everyone's attention for a moment that would be really great...Right, okay people, we have a situation here. Ah need ya'll to take up ya posts in a calm and orderly fashion, just lahke we rehersed."

"Is this a drill?"

"No, it ain't a drill."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. This is the real thing."

"Yeah, but last time you said it was the real thing and that turned out to be a drill."

"For the last tahme this is not a fuckin' drill! Nah will ya shut the fuck up and get into ya positions!"

"Okay, okay, geez; someone's got a stick up their butt."

"Ah heard that!"

"You were meant to!"

* * *

When reality returned to Rogue, she found herself being gently lifted away from her position straddling the waist of the a now semi-conscious Belle, her nowbare hands having been wrapped aroundthe woman'sneck. Her head pounded terribly, she felt awfully disorientated and she was infinately confused about how and when she had managed to pin the taller, older blonde woman and when her gloves had managed to come off.

"Easy Rogue." Kitty's voice soothed as she felt two pairs of arms come around her, supporting her limp muscles which refused to hold her themselves. She gratefully leaned into the holds of her two best friends and didn't bother to gather the will to open her eyes. Sight turned out to be un-neccessary though:

"Please Remy, don' leave me again."

"Sorry Belle, but I am neidher t'ief or assassin; I am an X-Man an' I ain' never comin' back."

Something similar to relief swept through Rogue with that short and to the point conversation. That relief swiftly turned into happiness when she felt a pair of lips on the top of her head. A smile found it's way onto her face as she was scooped up into Remy's arms and clutched tightly to his chest. She felt Remy begin to walk forward and heard the accompanying footsteps of Kitty and Jubilee. Everything was going to be all right now...

...Although, she could hear faint screaming from somewhere very far away...

* * *

And there we have Chapter 30. Hope we all enjoyed it.  
Okay, as for what happened to Remy with the whole wedding thing; I took that whole idea from the original X-Men cartoon and I'm assuming, since we're all fans of the universe, that we already have a basic understanding of what goes on in it. So, I'm not going to bother explaining it UNLESS enough people specifically ask for it to be explained. I really don't want to though as I've reached the stage where I just want this story to end as swiftly as possible.  
Anything in here you don't understand? I assure you it will most likely be addressed in Chapter 31. It's not just me making silly mistakes :)  
Okay, that's enough moaning from me, I'll let you all get on with your lives now :)

Hugs  
Dream


	31. Chapter 31

Hi everyone :)

...I've run out of useless, random facts! O.o

Shaishe: Good :)

Gep: 13- Yes, yummy men like remy are protected species you know. However, sometimes even endangered species get into some trouble sometimes ( hint for this chapter)  
14- Wow, that was a lot of compliments! Thank you very much for all of them, made me feel good about myself :)  
15- Pitchforks are more traditional riot gear plus they're easy to get a-hold of; just gotta pop down the local garden centre. As for guns and stuff, you've gotta apply for a license and then you gotta fill out the permit and then you gotta wait for it all to be approved and then...Oh, well, you get the idea; it's just too much trouble.  
16- Did Belle die at some point? I hope she did, that would be sweeeeeet :D And, even if she did die, she's alive in this :D  
17: I hope you think they excellent work has been upheald in this chapter...Man, that made me sound really poncy :D  
18: Hmm, interesting ideas. Are they correct though? I'm not saying, you'll have to read and find out :D  
19: Well, if I was known all over the US I'd have to be majorly famous because I'm English :) Gotta conquere the British Isles before I take on the big USA  
20: Wow...I, ah, I seriously have no idea what to say to that. I've never had such high praise before :) Makes me want to risk having my confidence shattered by submitting one of my original stories for publishing lol.  
21- More huge compliments which make me smile :)  
22- I'm glad you approve of where I stopped and that you also approve of my values. not many people have clear values nowadays which I think is a shame. Anyways, I don't mind ya asking my age: I'm 18 which you'll probably find out in a few chapters anyway because I dedicated a wholse chapter to my 18th birthday :D  
30- You have a Hell of a lot more patience than I do. If I like a story a lot, I'm always anxious to read as much as possible. Screw saving some for later :D

ishandahalf: Yes, every good ROMY story should have a nice bit of Belle-crushing somewhere in it. It's the kind of thing which makes everyone smile :D

CalliopeMused: Might've been a short review but it was longer than most of the others I got so I'm not complaining. I'm sorry the beginning was a little confusing. I really couldn't be bothered to write out the full scenes so I thought I'd just write the dialogue out instead.

Lucy Wood: Yay for people liking last chapter :)

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Yes, I know, it was a slowl update last time and a slow update this time but cut me some slack, the writer's block, she holds me back :(

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Glad you thought everything was awsome and I'd just like to say that this reply is the first time ever that I've been able to type out your name without having to look at the review :D

firestorm13: I would feel sorry for Belle as well if she wasn't trying to force Remy into marrying her in the first place :D

coletterby: Or else what? Because if you do anything too bad to me, I won't be able to finish the story and then you'll never know what happens! (starts laughing maically, earning strange looks from my dad who's just walked in the room) O.o

Wiccangurl: Wow, it really must've been a good chapter; I've never made anyone swear before. Sweet :D

enchanterlight: Thank ya much, here's the update :)

LucreziaNoin86: Glad ya think so :)

IvyZoe: You miss Head Remy? You'll love this chapter then. Can you guess why? You probably can :D

Lyra Eyota: Yes, I quite liked that line as well :)

Anna: Thank ya for the information on the church stuff, I'll try and find the time to go and fix that. As for Belle's mutation, I'm not completely 100 sure what it is. In the original cartoon, she gives Remy a ring which she can activate to cause him pain whenever she wants and, at the end of the episode, it's revealed she's a mutant. Since that's the only display which could possibly be explained by mutant powers, I made it so.  
So, to answer your question, "what is Belle's mutation?": I have absolutely no realy idea O.o

sakura5tar: Yes, the "drill" bit will be explained, next chapter in fact. And I hate it when authors just decide to give up on a story too. So inconsiderate to their readers -.-

RoackFee: 30 chapters in 2 hours?...Woah O.o

Black Sorceress: The best X-Men fic you've ever read? Wow, huge compliment there :) I'm so glad that you're enjoying everything so much.

Crazy4Cocopuffs: 29 - I must admit, I did wonder where you'd gone. I'm thinking that a few people must've got bored by now and wandered away because I don't hear from some of my old regulars anymore (sigh) but at least you've come back and that cheers me up :)  
30 - Too personal? No, no, of course I'm not speaking from experience...(shifty eyes) For once, you're questions will be answered in either this chapter or the next. Hah! Bet ya never thought I'd say that :D And I'm sorry to hear that you were effected by the hurricanes. I hope things haven't been too bad for you.

Friend to All: 25- Yes, the boss is never around when you need them. The voices in our heads are not really the most reliable support in the world though, so what can you expect :D  
26- Ah yes, the worserning, (I just made up a new word :D) headaches. Gonna get a lot worse ya know.  
27- As you've already seen, I don't really give Logan much of a chance to torment Remy before he goes off in a sulk :D  
28- Yeah, that Star Wars bit was a stroke of pure genius...Or insanity, I get them mixed up from time to time :D  
29- Compliments make me blush and smile :)  
30- So that's who you think the boss is then? Interesting...

Taij Zann Rung: New reviewing person! Many welcomes (bows) I'm glad you're craving more and I hope that this wait hasn't been too long. As for Belle's power, you didn't miss it, I never explained it 'cause I took it from the original cartoon series. If ya don't know the details of the original cartoon, could you read my reply to "Anna" since I see no pont of typing it all out again.

Freak87: YOU CAME BACK! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! (pulls you into a too tight hug) Anyways, yes, very much missed you :) Glad you liked the chapters you've read through now. And, I can't believe I'm actually saying this finally, the answers to all you questions will be revealed within the next two chapters :O

Musical Chaos: Glad ya loved it :)

dazzleduk: Yay, fellow Englander :D Glad you're liking the story. And you said grates! I'm the only person I know who uses the word grates on a regular basis :D

We're down to the last four chapters!  
This is it people; the beginning of the end. Everything which Rogue has worked so hard to build up; the secrets she's kept, the half truths she's told, they all start to fall apart right about now :D I think this has to be the most serious chapter I've ever written. There's absolutely no comic relief in this chapter and it all gets quite grown up...Though, I suppose it's my way of getting all the severity out now before Chapter 33, (grins manically in anticipation for Chapter 33)

* * *

Pain. So much pain. Whaht, hot, blahndin' pain that stabs the brain continuously so that ya can't ignore it, ya have to react. 

Hah long has it been? A day? Day and a half? Gahd, it seems lahke so much more. Ah almost killed Belle the other day and Ah can't remember one damn second of it. Kitty, Jubilee and Remy told me that the stupid bitch grabbed me 'round the neck. Ah tensed and then, apparantly, everthin' kicked ahff. Ah used every single power of every single person Ah've got in mah head and, when Ah had been close enough, Ah pinned that slut to the floor.

Ah don't remember though. Ah don't remember any of it. There was just darkness and pain; such intense pain...

Ah'm so scared...

* * *

Rogue whimpered miserably into the pillow she was cuddled against, her palms pressing into her eyes in an attempt to distract herself from the stabbing in her head. It was mid-afternoon and she hadn't moved from her bed all day; she hadn't been able to. Everytime she had tried to move, her headache just got even worse, hurting to the point that she had to cry out in some kind of relief. 

Soon after the rescue of Remy, Rogue had started to feel the horribly familiar headache which told her she'd been doing too much. Taking the warning her body was obviously giving her, she'd wisely rested, going straight to bed upon their return to the school. However, the headache had steadily worsened to the intense, crippling degree it was at presantly.

Remy had been checking in on her at hourly intervals after they both realised that, curiously, the headache intensified when he was close. When the pain first started to get worse, Remy had gone to hold Rogue's gloved hand as a sign of comforting support. However, upon the contact, Rogue had cried out and yanked her hand away as if it had been burnt. It soon became obvious it was no fluke either and, eventually, they both admitted defeat and Remy reluctantly left her side.

None of the teachers or the Professor seemed to have any idea what was wrong with her and Rogue knew they were all really worried. Hell, she was really worried herself. Kitty had told her on a visit that Hank was practically living in the med-lab trying to find any little bit of information which might help her. Rogue had seriously started to consider telling the teachers about the extent of her abilities, Head Remy and all, and had even gone as far as attempting to tell the Professor. However, when the words tried to come out, different words came instead. It was frustrating and frightening all at once; it was her bloody head and she had no idea what the Hell was going on in it.

And another thing which was both worrying her and aggravating her at the same time; where the Hell was Head Remy? It had been weeks since he had last spoken to her. She knew he was still there, she could feel him tinkering about, but he wouldn't speak to her even if she tried to initiate the conversation. At one point, a week or two prior, she'd given up on trying to coax him out of whatever slump he'd got into, but that was all forgotten now. Rogue wanted relief, she wanted it right away and she knew for a fact that Head Remy could give it to her; he'd done so before.

She wailed his name silently, begging for his help, pleading for a response. Everytime she voiced a call though, the pain in her head stabbed. It was torture, pure and simple torture, but she was damned if she was going to give up anytime soon.

And her perserverance eventually paid off. After a particularly harsh stab which caused her to cry out loud softly, she heard a very faint, slightly muffled voice call her real name. She desperately clung to the achievement like a life-line and caled out once again.

"Remy? Remy, please!"

No reply and Rogue let out a frustrated sob. She was seriously starting to consider banging her head against the wall until she knocked herself out. Fortunately, before she got around to actually doing that, she got another faint reply along with another sharp pain:

"Marie...Can't...Let me..."

Rogue sobbed again and pulled her hair roughly, not actually feeling the pain from the abused follicles. The pain in her head was suddenly so much worse and now she couldn't even make vocal noises. Her mouth was held open in a continuous, silent scream and her hands continued to yank roughly at her hair.

Then, a more defined pain in the sea of fuzzy pain which consumed her and a shout which stung her ears even though it was inside her head: "She won't let me Marie!"

And that's when something inside her snapped.

An agonised scream managed to rip itself out of Rogue's throat and her whole body arched violently, her head thrown back quickly, jarring her neck painfully. She lost all sense of self; all she knew was pain.

She disappeared from her room with a familiar bamphf and left behind whisps of black smoke just as her bedroom door burst open.

* * *

"Any luck Charles?" 

"No. I don't know what's happened. I can't find a trace of her mind anywhere. It's like she's not even here anymore."

"What do you think happened to her?"

"I don't know Hank, I honestly don't know."

"Professor?"

"Yes Jean?"

"I've found her, she's in the park."

* * *

It was raining; large heavy drops which pattered on every surface loudly. Deep puddles were forming in the dips of every un-even surface and turning the grass next to the path Jean was currently walking down into a slushy, muddy mess. 

As Jean got closer to the children's play area, the haunting sound of a detatched voice murmuring a nusery rhyme reached her ears:

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.  
Mary had a little lamb, her fleece was white as snow.  
And everywhere that Mary went, May went, Mary went,  
Everywhere that Mary went, that lamb was sure to go."

Upon reaching the gate of the fence which surrounded the play area, Jean stopped and simply watched. Sitting on the swings a few metres away was Rogue. Her lemon coloured cotton night shirt was soaked and plastered to her body, her hair was wet and limp, her head tilted back so she could stare up at the sky, her lips moving ever so slightly as she sang her song. Her skin had turned deathly paleand her bare feet looked like they were turning a frightening shade of blue. She seemed totally oblivious to the rain and the cold though and her eyes looked clouded, like she was looking but not really seeing.

Jean opened the gate, a small squeak emitting as she did so, just as Rogue finished her second rendition of "Mary had a Little Lamb" and started on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She approached the wet girl carefully, not exactly sure what to expect from her. When Jean had reached the swing set, and the point at which Rogue really should've acknowledged her presence, she stopped and spoke softly:

"Rogue?"

"The sky is falling and my dress is getting wet." Rogue mumbled in reply, still staring up at the clouded sky. Jean remained silent, noticing with some alarm that the girl had lost her accent. Rogue's head tilted to the side and she blinked slowly, her eyes moving onto Jean as she did. "Did Mama send you?"

"No." Jean answered simply, humouring the girl.

"It's nearly bed-time." Rogue told her quietly, turning away from Jean and back to the sky. "I can't go home though; Mama said she'd be mad if I got my dress wet."

Jean was totally speechless. She honestly had no idea what was going on or what to do. Something was obviously wrong, Rogue wasn't herself and apparantly did recognise her. Whatever it was that was wrong exactly though; that was a complete mystery. It was very upsetting to see the normally calm and collected teenager mumbling nonsense and huddled on a park swing like a lost little girl and Jean felt the beginnings of tears prick her eyes.

"You're the one They fight over." Rogue stated suddenly, breaking Jean's train of thought. The red-head looked to see Rogue was staring at her again again with dull, blank eyes.

"Who're "They" Rogue?" Jean inquired gently.

"Shadows." The girl answered quietly, her head turning back to the sky once again. "I can hear them now, yelling. But they all are now anyway. They want to go home but their mamas won't let them."

Now seriously concerned with this news that Rogue was obviously hearing things, she stepped towards the girl catiously, carefully reaching out to her as she did. "Rogue, we need to get you back to school; we need to get you out of the rain and into something warm and dry."

"School?" Rogue echoed, sounding confused. "What about Mama? She's gonna be mad at me..."

"She won't be there, I promise." Jean assured kindly, taking the final few steps towards the girl, bringing her amrs around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go back, I bet everyone else is really worried."

Rogue said nothing but allowed herself to be eased onto her feet and supported in a motherly embrace by the psychic. Slowly, they began to make their way out of the play area, on their way back to the school.

* * *

Oooooo, it's all getting very weird isn't it? And very intriguing O.o  
Hope you all liked this chapter. I like the final section personally. I think it starts off a bit boring but then picks up in the final section. Anyways, that's just my opinion; you all probably think differently :) I am a bit disappointed with it's length though but I always am nowadays it seems.  
Catch ya'll later.

Hugs  
Dream


	32. Chapter 32

Hi everyone :)

Okay, as you all know, this is where the review replies should be. As it is, had made that stupid new rule that we're not allowed to post them in the chapters (mutters angrily under my breath). So, I posted out all the replies just before I posted this. More hassle I know and people don't get the laughs of reading my replies to other people beside themselves, (I myself like to do that occassionally) but what can I do? They're the new rules and as much as they suck, they have to be followed -.-

If any of you have read the updates on my profile, you would've seen my thing about the chapters. As you can see, I decided to go with the shorter/more chapters combination. Mostly because this method allows for better cliffhangers and you all know I'm a sucker for cliffies :)

This is the third from last chapter, there's just two more after this. Though I doubt I'll get it finished before the end of the year. Dunno though, I might manage it if I get bitten by the writing bug :D

Anyways, I'll hush for now and let you all read this latest chapter:

* * *

"Identify yourself."

"I am Marie."

"What is your purpose?"

"That information is unclear at the present time."

"What are you?"

"I am myself."

"What makes you yourself?"

"Everything. My past, my memories, the interactions between myself and others moulds and shapes who I am."

"But what of the others? What of the pasts, memories and relationships that aren't your own? Do they change you?"

"I am not sure."

"If you are not who you used to be, who are you?"

"Who am I?"

"Are you simply another version of yourself?"

"I am not sure."

"Have you become an entirely different person?"

"I..."

"Or are you a mixture? Not quite yourself but neither are you someone else."

"I do not..."

"Identify yourself."

"I am..."

"Which are your true memories? Which are your relationships? What name do you truely go by?"

"I am not..."

"Who are you?"

"...Who am I? I...I no longer know who I am..."

* * *

Jean let out a sigh of relief as she led Rogue through the entrance of the school, out of the cold and rain and into the blissfully warm building. Rogue was dangerously pale and soaked to the bone but she really didn't seem aware of it; she wasn't even shivering. Jean on the other hand was shaking like a leaf even though she was trying her hardest to control the involuntary muscle spasms.

As the two women moved further into the front hallway, they were soon found by Kitty and Jubilee. While Kitty instantly sank through the floor, no doubt off to find the Professor, Jubilee gave a small gasp and rushed over to them.

"Oh my God Rogue, what happened? Why did you take off like that?" She paused then to wait for a reply. When she didn't get one, she frowned lightly and spoke again. "Rogue?"

"Jubilee, I think Rogue's a little confused at the moment." Jean revealed softly. Jubilee just looked at her with uncomprehending eyes. "Where is everyone?" She asked, thinking it would probably be best to change the subject.

"Erm, let me see: the Professor and Doctor McCoy are down in Cerebro still; Scott, Kurt and Remy are on their way back and Storm's still out picking up Logan." The teenager recalled, closing her eyes to help her remember. Just then, the sound of rushing air and a landing aircraft reached their ears through the barrior of the shut front door.

"Sounds like Storm's back. I hope she managed to find Logan." Jean murmured, looking over at the doors where she knew Logan and Ororo would enter through in a minute or two.

"Lo-gan..." Rogue echoed slowly, pausing uncertainly between the two syllables.

"Rogue?" Jean said quickly, pouncing at the first sign so far that Rogue at least had some comprehension of what was going on. The wet teenager was staring down at the floor fearfully as if something terrible had just happened. Then, before Jean or Jubilee could even try to get something out of her, the front doors burst open causing the two sane females to look in that direction.

Logan stood in the doorway, soaked and looking extremely angry. "Can I not leave her in this place with you lot for five fucking minutes without something happening to..." He didn't get to finish that sentence before he was hit square in the chest by a violent red beam much the same as Cyclops'. He was sent flying back out the doorway and the thump of his body hitting the ground followed several seconds after he'd disappeared from sight.

"Rogue!" Jubilee gasped, stepping away from the suddenly angry girl who curiously had her eyes clenched shut tightly. "Why the Hell did you do that?"

Rogue turned her head in Jubilee's direction so that, if her eyes had been open she would've been looking at her. "Because I've always wanted to." She answered and although the voice which spoke was hers, the accent definately wasn't.

"Guys! I've brought the Professor." Kitty's voice interrupted suddenly. Jean and Jubilee looked over at the approaching Kitty, Professor and Hank and subsequently missed Rogue's eyes flying open and widening in fear again and the small gasp which broke past her lips.

"Thank goodness you're here Professor." Jean gushed, intending to continue.

"Indeed." Rogue suddenly agreed, her tone taking on a definate English quality. "Welcome Charles."

And with that, she raised her right hand and the Professor's wheelchair stopped moving abruptly. Slowly, along with Rogue's gesturing, the wheelchair rose into the air with the Professor still in it while Rogue strolled casually over to him. As all this happened, the other mutants in the room could only stare on in mute horror at the situation.

When Rogue and the Professor were face to face and only a few centimetres of air seperated them, the girl sighed in a condescending fashion and shook her head slowly. "I'm disappointed in you Charles; if I have known that it was so easy to get in here I would have attacked you years ago."

"Rogue?" The Professor tried, confusion and disbelief evident in his tone.

"Don't worry my old friend, the girl's quite all right. She's in here, somewhere. And you'll get her back, just as soon as I've used her body to get back to me; the real me." Rogue explained, a smirk marring her face towards the end of the sentence.

"What have you done to her?" The Professor demanded, aghast.

"I assure you, I haven't done anything Charles." Rogue told him, her voice filled with mock indignation and exaggerated innocence. "This is all her own doing. Hers along with that arrogant Cajun friend of hers."

Just as she said that, Logan, Scott, Ororo, Kurt and Remy all entered, one after the other. The situation in front of them stunned them all into inaction and an amused smirk found it's way onto Rogue's face. It stayed there even as she gasped and stepped back slightly as if she'd been struck. Her concentration faded as well and the Professor and his wheelchair dropped back to the ground with a thud.

"You're in for some trouble now my boy." Rogue sneered to Remy. "Not that I mind; I do so enjoy watching a good fight."

And with that, Rogue gasped again and doubled over, her hands flying up to clutch her bowed head. No one moved as they watched in stunned silence as her shoulders heaved with her heavy breathing. Then, suddenly, she'd lifted her head again and her eyes...They were black and red, exactly like Remy's were. She seemed to lock her gaze onto her boyfriend instantly and her face creased in a look of pure rage and loathing.

"Yo'!" She yelled in an exact replica of Remy's accent, jabbing an accusing finger at him before hurridly stalking over to him. Remy and everyone else could do nothing but watch the un-nerving display unfold in front of them. "Yo' filt'y modher fucking son of a God damned bitch!" As her sentence ended she reached Remy and upon reaching him, she punched in squarely in the jaw.

"Rogue!" Jubilee cried, running over quickly and holding the irate girl back as Remy staggered away from her, the back of his hand pressed against his now slightly cut lip.

"What the Hell Rogue?" Kitty yelled, helping Jubilee hold their friend back.

"Dhis is all yo'r fault!" Rogue spat ast Remy furiously, ignoring the questions from the two girls and trying to escape from their holds. "If yo' had never come alon', if yo' had never cheated yo'r way into her life, none of dhis would have happened. Yo' don' even really love her! I made yo' accept her, I influenced yo' so dhat yo' didn' turn her away as nut case like yo' would've done, yo' no good bastard!"

With that, Rogue managed to rip herself away from her two friends, ripping off a bangle Jubilee was wearing on her wrist as she did so. Now in possession of something which could be turned into an effective weapon, Rogue sneered maliciously and charged the piece of cheap plastic jewelry to such an extent that it began to glow bright white. However, before she could actually use said weapon, she froze and her eyes widened again, suddenly flickering back to their natural white and brown colour.

"No, don't hurt him!" Rogue screamed in her own southern accent, tossing the beads away from herself.

Jean caught them with her telekinisis and sent them soaring up to the high ceiling where they exploded safely, away from everyone and everything. Once that drama was over, everyone turned their attention back to Rogue again; she had fallen to her knees in the middle of all of them and was weakly yanking her hair while muttering to herself tearfully.

"Please go away, leave me alone, leave me alone..."

She sounded so miserable and alone that hearing her brought tears to the eyes of several of them, even Logan. Jean shot the Professor a pleading look to which he sighed sadly in agreement at what had been a silent request. He sent a very weak psychic blast to the girl, just enough to knock her out, putting her out of her misery for a few hours at least. Seconds later, Rogue simply went limp and slumped to the floor on her side. She had barely hit the floor before Remy had run over to her and gathered her into his arms, cradling her limp body as he gently rocked her, stroking her hair in calm, soothing strokes.

"What the Hell is wrong with her?" Logan demanded, his eyes fixed on Rogue's still form being held gently by Remy.

"That accent...She sounded so much like Remy..." Kitty murmured, sounding horrified.

"Professor, do you think it's possible that the people Rogue's absorbed in the past could be trying to break out or even take over her body as their own?" Jean suggested, her voice a little tearful. "I mean, we already know that part of them stays with her; maybe we've simply underestimated just how much remains."

"It's a very likely possibility but we'll only find out if it is the case by going into Rogue's mind ourselves." He told Jean though he addressed the whole room.

"You want me to go with you?" Jean checked, suprised and delighted.

"Yes, I will need your presence as a reminder of the real world so that I don't lose my way and start thinking that Rogue's mind is reality." Jean simply nodded at that.

Wordlessly, the two psychics headed over to where Remy was still holding Rogue. Although he didn't release her completely, he did shift his hold so they had easier access to her, lifting her up a little so the Professor could put his hands on either side of her head. Jean did the same with one hand in front of Rofue's face and one at the back of her head. Then, both psychics closed their eyes.

* * *

When Jean and the Professor opened their eyes again they were in a space of nothingness. There was pure white emptiness and that was it. They looked around themselves, trying to see if there was anything at all around them. On their fifth attempt of looking to their right, they saw a figure up ahead which hadn't been there before.

"Professah, Jean, Ah'm so glad ya fahnally decided to come visit."

* * *

Ooo, the mystery! Who's this figure?...Yeah, I know, it's pretty obvious but I feel like playing it up to be something it's not :D  
Anyways, hoped you all like this one and I'll catch ya'll next time :) 

Hugs  
Dream


	33. Chapter 33

Hi everyone :)

This is it people, THIS IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE OFFICIAL LAST CHAPTER OF THIS STORY. Can you believe that? Over a year and we're one chapter away from it all being over. Wow, it was a quick update as well, but it's not surprising; once I started writing I just couldn't stop :D

This chapter is my favourite one out of the entire story and it's basically the original idea that this entire story stemmed from. This one little chapter produced another 30 or so from my over-active imagination. So, I think everyone should say a big thank you to this chapter for if it wasn't for it, we wouldn't have had the past year together...Makes you think, kind of O.o

We're in need of some disclaimers for this chapter. I don't own any of the following I'm about to list:  
Mighty Morphing Power Rangers  
Lord of the Rings  
Sailor Moon  
The Incredible Hulk  
Oliver Twist or the songs from the musical "Oliver!"  
Harry Potter  
I know what you're thinking; how is any of this involved with the story? You will see in time. I think this is going to be one of those things your either going to love or hate. All I ask is that you just give it a try and if you don't like it, fair enough, just be nice about telling me :)

Enough from me, on with the story:

* * *

"Rogue?" Jean asked, confused. As the figure ahead became clearer, it was very obvious that it was Rogue standing in front of them. It was a different Rogue though. It was a Rogue wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, it was a Rogue without gloves, it was Rogue without the strands of white hair.

"Close Jean, but no quahte." The teenager replied, casually strolling over to the two adults. "Ya could say Ah'm Rogue before she became Rogue. Ah'm her, Marie, the second before she had her first kiss, before her mutant ability kicked in for the first tahme."

Both the Professor and Jean gave her uncomprehending looks and the girl paused, wondering how exactly she could explain. She gazed off to the side for a short while before breathing in and attempting the explanation.

"The first tahme Rogue used her powers, it was such a massive shock to her system that it caused some major trauma. Her mahnd was damaged severely, almost totally ripped away from the rest of her brain resultin' in me. Ah'm a completely seperate entity to the rest of her. Basically, lahke this, Ah'm just lahke any other mahnd she's absorbed."

"So, the first time Rogue used her powers, her brain was damaged?" Jean checked, trying to understand.

"No, Ah said her mahnd was damaged, not her brain." Marie corrected. "The mahnd and the brain are two seperate things. The brain is rational; it reacts to electrical impulses and relies on them to act. The mahnd, however, is irrational. The mahnd acts on emotions, on hah we feel. The brain mahght control the body but the mahnd controls the brain. Withaht the mahnd, the brain would still be able to work, it just wouldn't have a reason to. That's basically what had happened to Rogue when you found her in the park Jean. Everything was still workin' fahne and the small part of her mahnd which stayed part of her was able to tell her what to do to a certain extent; there just wasn't enough there and it's hold wasn't strong enough to make her act half-way sane."

"What happened to make this all happen though?" The Professor inquired.

"Erm, it maght be easier to show ya rather than tell ya." Marie mused to herself, glancing off into space before looking at them both again. "Brace yaselves though; it ain't gonna be pretty." She warned, inclining her head forward to instruct the psychics to turn around. The two adults steeled themselves to face the horrors of Rogue's problem before slowly turning around...

Complete, utter chaos was spread ahead of them and deafening noise had suddenly filled the area. However, the anarchy wasn't horrible or gruesome or anything like that. No, it was just very weird. Dotted around the never ending area of white were various fictional characters who were either fighting off other fictional characters or trying to keep the dozen or so doors, which had suddenly appeared from no where, shut.

"All right lads, let's get to work!"

Jean and the Professor directed their gazes over to a scraggy old man with a pointed, light ginger beard and wearing a tattered green coat with a flat black Jewish hat resting on his head. In front of him were around twenty young boys, none older than twelve, all dressed in rough, worn, Victorian clothing. Beside the man stood another boy who was wearing a tattered blue dress coat and a stained top-hat.

"Line up!" The man ordered, his voice tuneful with a very definate British tint to his accent.

"Line up!" The top-hat wearing boy repeated, his voice in similar tone as the other boys got into line and began to march on the spot, their stamping feet creating a beat.

"Single file!

"Single file!"

"Left,"

"Right!"

"Left,"

"Right!"

"Left,"

"Right!"

"Aye, aye!" The other boys chorused together. The, music suddenly started playing and the old man began to sing:

"You can go but be back soon,  
You can go but while you're working,  
This place I'm pacing round...  
Until you're home,  
...Safe and sound.

Fare thee well,  
But be back soon  
Who can tell where danger's lurking?  
Do not forget this tune:  
Be back soon!"

Then, it was the boys' turn:

"How could we forget,  
How could we let,  
Our dear old Fagin worry?  
We love him so,  
We'll come back home,  
In, oh such a great big hurry!

It's him that plays the piper,  
It's us that pipes his tune.  
So long, fare thee well,  
Pip! Pip! Cheerio!  
We'll be back soon!"

The song went back to the old man who began to march along energetically, the boys following on along behind:

"Cheerio, but be back soon.  
I dunno, somehow I'll miss you  
I love you, that's why I  
Say, "Cheerio"...  
Not goodbye.

Don't be gone long  
Be back soon.  
Give me one long,  
Last look...  
Bless you.  
Remember our old tune...  
Be back soon!"

Back to the boys':

"We must disappear,  
We'll be back here,  
Today...  
...Perhaps tomorrow.  
We'll miss you too,  
It's sad but true,  
That parting is such sweet sorrow.

And when we're in the distance,  
You'll hear this whispered tune...  
So long, fare thee well  
Pip! Pip! Cheerio!  
We'll be back soon!"

Both Jean and the Professor could only watch the display until most of the boys took up their posts at several of the doors and started to make a fuss, shouting and yelling mild curses at whatever it was trying to get through. A few others ran over to an ugly looking man with a face covered in coarse black stubble and then proceeded to jump on him, kicking and slapping him with little effect. The two adults turned to look at Marie who was rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache.

"They're courtesy of Remy and his Oliver Twist fixation." She revealed as though that would explain everything. Before either the adults could inquire further, the sound of crumbling rock came from their side.

"Hulk mad!" The easily recognisable, muscular, green man in nothing but a pair of ripped purple trousers, yelled from where he had crashed through a brick wall which had suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere.

"What on Earth is this?" Jean gawked around as the Hulk charged over to one of the doors.

"This," Marie answered, gesturing at the chaos ahead of them, "is a visible interpretation of what is currently goin' ahn insahde Rogue's head. The good characters are extensions of mahself. The bad characters are the mahnds of others."

Just as Marie had finished, the entire cast from Lord of the Rings clashed with an army of goblins and other such monsters with an almighty crash. Jean winced slightly at the sound and sight. The Professor seemed unphased.

"Why has everything taken the forms of already exisiting fictional characters?" He inquired curiously.

"What can Ah say, mah imagination's crap." The girl shrugged easily.

"Ready guys?" A new male voice interrupted then and the three spectators turned their attention to this latest main event. Marie groaned upon seeing the five teenagers; three boys and two girls. "It's morphing time!" The guy, dressed totally in red, announced in a voice which really was too serious for the sentance.

"Mastodon!"  
"Pterodactyl!"  
"Triceratops!"  
"Sabretoothed Tiger!"  
"Tyrannosaurus!"

Neither adult knew quite what to say as the characters they recognised as the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers ran forward and began to help out in the fight. Once again, they turned to Marie for an explanation.

"Ya'd have thahght Bahbby'd grown aht of it bah his age wouldn't ya?" She sighed, shaking her head. Just then, grily music started to playing suddenly and Marie moaned loudly, rubbing her eyes. "Oh mah Gahd, this is lahke the eighth tahme today! Give it a rest already!" She yelled over to the side where nine female Japanese cartoon characters were all floating around, glowing various shades of various colours.

"If you don't mind me me saying," Jean spoke tentatively as they watched the display in front. "You're not that much like Rogue are you?"

"Of course Ah ain't." Marie agreed as though that was a given and didn't need to be stated. "Ah'm the same girl Ah was before Ah even knew I was a mutant. Rogue's been through a lot of shit which has changed who she is and understandably so 'cause..."

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" A heavily Japanese accented voice called and Marie had to leap out of the way wave of shards of silver light which sudenly raced towards her.

"Do ya mahnd! Ah'm trahin'a have a conversation here! Jesus!" The teenager yelled angrily.

"I'm guessing Sailor Moon came from Jubilee." Jean mused.

"Not really. Let's just say that, if Ah were you, Ah'd be seriously concerned abaht ya fiance's sexuality." Marie answered distractedly watching as a Harry Potter stood in front of a bunch of black cloaked, skeletal figures and yelled "Expecto Patronum" at the top of his voice, his wand pointing up at the floating monsters.

"This is all well and good to see but it doesn't explain what has actually happened." The Professor pointed out.

"Seriously? It's painfully obvious to me." She replied. "Look at all the monsters and baddies compared to the number of heroes. We're totally swamped! Mah control on Rogue ain't stable and with so many mahnds all trahin' to get through all at once, it's no wonder a couple are managin' to slip through."

"What happened to lead to everything getting so out of hand though?" Professor Xavier continued to question.

"Ya wanna know what happened?" Marie asked, sounding suddenly annoyed though both psychics knew it wasn't directed at them. "Remy bloody LeBeau is what happened." With that, she turned to the "battle" ahead of them, a megaphone suddenly appearing in her right hand. "Remy! Get ya fat ass over here!" She ordered, her ampliphied voice still sounding relatively normal due to the rest of the surrounding noise.

"What?" The familiar voice of the Cajun suddenly came from behind.

"Ahh Remy." She grunted as they turned to the man. "Professor, Jean; this is the guy we "affectionately" call Head Remy." Marie introduced before looking at the man. "Ah was just tellin' them hah this mess is all yar fault."

"Funny, dhere was Remt t'inkin' it was all yo'r fault." The man sneered darkly to which Marie glared back hatefully.

"What?" Jean inquired, confused by with accusation.

"Head Remy does not approve of the way Ah do business." Marie explained in a forced pleasant voice, her dark glare remaining on her face.

"And can yo' blame me? If yo' had jus' let Rogue tell the Professor when t'ings firs' started to go wrong..."

"Ah was handling it!" Marie interrupted angrily.

"Yo' obviously weren'," Head Remy yelled, stalking over to stand right in front of the teenage girl. "Odherwise we wouldn' be in dhis situation wit' all dhese minds runnin' abou'!"

"Enough!" Marie cried furiously. Suddenly, silence feel over them in a thick blanket as the chaos behind completely disappeared. The silence remained unbroken for quite some time before the Professor decided to take control of the situation.

"I think you should tell us exactly what's happened, right from the very begining."

Marie shot Head Remy another dirty look before sighing, her features relaxing, making her look tired. "It all started a few months back. Rogue's powers started to glitch a bit; she absorbed people withaht actually realising she'd done it. This led to everything gettin' a bit...Crowded, in here. It started to get a bit too much for me to handle comfortably and that's when Head Remy made himself an active member in all this; what a happy day that was." She muttered sarcastically.

"With his empathy," she continued, "he has mahld psychic ability so he was able to help me control the other mahnds. But Rogue's powers didn't settle and more and more mahnds kept swarmming in. When everything fahnally did calm dahn and her powers stabalised there were too many in here for us to handle. We couldn't even silence them let alone control them and Rogue started hearing voices, keeping her awake at nahght. She was falling to bits; so we made a decision.

"Head Remy made communication with Rogue for the first tahme and then proceeded to mahldly manipulate her actions in order to make her "run into" the actual Remy. Because Head Remy's only a very small part of the original mahnd, he's not as strong as the actual Remy. When Rogue met the real one, Head Remy emitted a type of psychic vibe which instinctively drew the real Remy to her lahke a moth to a flame. And, when she was in pain or needed help, the vibes would fade and the real Remy would help her, innately knowing that the addictive vibes would return when she was once again comfortable."

"So he really doesn't actually love her." Jean concluded, sounding understandably sad.

"Of course he loves her!" Marie explained, exasperated. "We stopped usin' the vibes back during the Louisianna incident. No, that claim was made up by a stupid, jealous idiot." She muttered, glaring at Head Remy once again. "Everything was fahne after that until he decided that he didn't want Rogue and Remy together after all. He started ahff by just sulking, but then he started takin' action. That's when Ah had no choice but to lock him away with the other mahnds. Unfortunately, that meant he couldn't help me anymore and that's when things started to get bad really quickly.

"First there was the whole being chased half way across the country bah the army. Then Logan left. Then Remy left. All that stress caused a lot of strain but Ah managed to cope, somehah. Then, when rescuing Remy from forcibly getting married, everything fell apart. Mah control snapped and all the mahnds got aht."

"See, her faul'." Head Remy interrupted.

"Ah ain't finished yet and ya know it!" Rogue snapped before resuming. "Even though everyone was aht Ah was able to stay in control. But then, Mr Green-Ahyed Monster here decides he's had enough. He purposely caused Rogue the most amount of pain possible whenever the real Remy came near her and then, if that alone weren't enough, he went and told her abaht me!"

"She had a right to know!" Head Remy insisted heatedly.

"Ya knew what would happen to her if she did!" Marie shot back.

"Yo' expected me to trust you after everyt'in' yo'd done?"

"Everything Ah've done, Ah've done because it was what was best for Rogue at the tahme. She is not yours Remy, she's mahne! And if anyone knows what's best for her it's me."

"Everyt'in' yo've done had been ou' of pure stubborn selfishness!"

"Hah dare you..."

"That's enough!" The Professor silenced them sternly, seeing that this arguement was leading to nothing. The two minds stopped instantly though they continued to glare at each other visciously."Now, Marie, calmly, tell me what happened when Rogue found out the truth."

Marie took a deep breath before exhaling with a whoosh. "One thing ya gotta understand is that the mahnd shouldn't ever be seperated from the brain. It's not natural, it ain't rahght, it just shouldn't happen. When this idiot mentioned mah exisitence, even though it was nothing specific, it became a conscious fact to Rogue and her brain, understandably, couldn't comprehend what was going on. So, instead of trahin' to understand, her brain did the next best thing; it got rid of them problem, pushing me away.

"If it hadn't been for the fact Ah was already under a lot of stress, Ah probably would've been able to withstand the rejection. As it was, it was just the fahnal step and everything shattered. Ah lost complete control for the first tahme ever and Ah ain't been able to get it back since."

"So, what now? How is Rogue going to get better?" Jean questioned worridly.

"Ah'm glad ya asked that Jean." Marie replied, suddenly perking up. She turned to the Professor and smiled. "I think you're the only one who's gonna be able to set things rahght again. Basically, we need a total do over; every single mahnd in here that don't belong needs to go."

"Won't that effect Rogue's health though?" The Professor inquired.

"Yeah, but there ain't a way arahnd it. The other mahnds have to go and the only way to do that is for you to suck 'em aht one bah one." Marie explained.

"All right." Professor Xavier sighed sounding resigned. "There's nothing left for us to do here then, we'll take our leave now."

"It was nice to meet you Marie." Jean smiled.

"Lahkewahse." The teenager returned the gesture.

"And if something like this happens again, have Rogue tell someone immediately." The red-head ordered.

"Duly noted." Marie grinned, giving them a playful salute as they faded away from the area, leaving Rogue's head completely. She turned to Head Remy, her grin remaining though it turned slightly nasty. "Ah would say Ah'd miss ya, but that would be a lahe."

Head Remy rolled his eyes at her in distaste as he turned and walked away, fading from sight while he did so. Marie watched him before stretching her arms and back while releasing a satisfied breath.

It would be nice to have a little peace and quiet again.

* * *

And there you have it; everything's explained. I bet some of you are kicking yourselves and wondering why you didn't figure it out before :D Wow, that was so incrediably long! I didn't think it was gonna be this long O.o Hmm, didn't mean it to end that abruptly though...Oh well, I'm just gonna over look that :D  
All that stuff about the brain and the mind I just totally made up so I have no idea whether it's correct or not. I suppose no one will ever really know about that kind of thing; all we can do is speculate.  
All to come now is the Epilogue and then it'll be all over :(  
See you all for the last time next chapter, take care :)

Hugs  
Dream


	34. Epilogue

Hi everyone :)

Wow...So this is it. We're at the end. Just under one year after I first started this and it's finished. Goddess it seems so much longer! It's rather...Erm...I dunno, I can't think of how to explain it. My first major series and it's all done. It's an achievement. I never thought it was gonna get this long. Admittedly, I didn't know how long it was going to be but I didn't know it was going to be this long.

I'm gonna save all the goodbyes and stuff until the end because no one wants to read anything feeling all sad and everything. So, for the last time, please enjoy this chapter :)

* * *

It's weird in here nah; so quiet, so empty. Not that Ah'm complaining. Hell no, it's great...It's just so deserted. They're all gone nah, every single last mahnd that didn't belong here is nah gone and it's great. No more idiots back chattin' me, no more psycho jealous Cajun trahin' to destroy everything! It's jus' me; me, me, me.

And nah Ah can concentrate on Rogue again. Ah can focus on making her better, Ah can start fixing all the damage that's been caused in here and Ah focus on makin' sure this never happens again. It'll take a whahle and it'll be hard but Ah'm gonna do it. Ah'll do it for Rogue, to help her get better; the fact Ah continue to survahve is just a bonus.

Ah shouldn't get used to all this though, it'll soon start fillin' up once Rogue starts fahghtin' again, whenever that'll be. After all, it's part of who she is and Lord knows ya can't denah who ya are.

* * *

Beeping. Really annoying beeping, constantly beeping right in her ear. Where the Hell was it coming from?

As Rogue woke up little by little, she couldn't stop the annoyed frown which creased her face. That noise was seriously starting to get one her nerves! Opening her eyes, she found that she was instantly blinded by an obscenely bright white ceiling. That answered the question of where she was at least; the Med Lab. And, her head lulling to her left, she found the cause of the beeping; she was plugged up to a heart monitor. It was also then that she noticed the wired pads on her pulse points and chest. Weakly, Rogue raised her hands and yanked each pad off in turn. Once they were all off, she carelessly brushed them off of the side of the bed and onto the floor. There, that was the beeping stopped.

Rogue's arms fell heavily to her sides and she quietly muttered a complaint under her breath about feeling pathetic. Looking around herself, she frowned again. She couldn't for the life of her remember what had happened to result in her winding up in the Med Lab. Also, she noted with surprise, that her head felt relaxed for once. There was none of the usual constant pressure which gave her headaches and there were no voices...Her head was empty...

Her frown vanished and her heart soared. A bright smile lit her face and she'd have laughed and hugged herself if she hadn't been so weak. As it was, she settled for a soft, breathy laugh while her eyes widened in pleased disbelief. She was herself again; completely and totally.

The sound of running footsteps suddenly reached her ears and she rolled her head to the side just in time to see a flustered Remy dash in through the doorway. He froze upon seeing her opened eyes staring back at him innocently and remained stunned into stillness for several more seconds. Then, as the shock left him, he released a huge sigh and glared at her lightly.

"Did yo' un-plug dhat heart monitor?" He asked sternly.

"The beepin' was drahvin' me nuts." Rogue mumbled tiredly.

"What if yo'r heart had stopped?" He demanded anxiously.

"Then ya would've fahnd me wouldn't ya?" She pointed out with a small grin.

Remy sighed again and ran a hand through his hair before letting it flop back to his side. He made his way over to her bed and perched on the edge. After getting himself comfortable, he took Rogue's left hand in his gloved one. "How are yo' feelin'?" He inquired quietly, his thumb continuously rubbing the back of her hand.

"Tahred." She mumbled groggily. "Hah long have I been aht?"

"'Bout a day; day and a bit. Do yo' remember anything?" He inquired gently.

"Not really, it's all kind of a fuzzy blank. What happened?"

"Dhere were too many odher people in yo'r head. Dhe Professor had to take dhem all ou'." Remy explained as he reached forward and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear tenderly.

"So they are really all gahne?" Rogue checked hopefully.

"Yeah, dhey're really all gone." He smiled, leaning forward and kissing her forehead where it was protected by her hair.

"You as well though." She noted, sounding slightly forlorn, her eyes rolling to look at her side, avoiding his direct gaze.

"Remy t'ink dhat's prob'ly for dhe best chere." He assured her, trying to make his voice sound more cheerful than he felt upon hearing her disappointment of the part of him which had been in her head.

"What? Wahy?"

Remy hesitated un-surely. He'd spoken to with Professor Xavier and Jean and they had told him everything which had happened in Rogue's head. However, they had instructed him in what he could and couldn't tell Rogue. Unfortunately they hadn't offered any advice on what he should tell her about what had happened before the two psychics had entered her head. Should he tell her she had been possessed? And if he did, should he tell her she was made to attack Logan, the Professor and himself? How would the truth make her feel? Was it even worth risking the truth with her in such a fragile state?

"Because yo' needed a fresh start chere." He answered eventually, deciding that it was better to be safe rather than sorry in this particular situation; the truth could wait, forever if need be. "Yo' won' need dhat Remy anyway; dhe real Remy ain' gon' leave yo'r side for a very long time."

Rogue smiled at that and she lifted her free arm, inviting him to hug her. Never one to turn down such an offer, Remy leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her body and then gently lifted her to his chest. She snuggled into his arms, her eyes fluttering shut and her soft smile remaining. Remy held her close, infinately grateful that the girl he loved more than anything was recovering, and kissed the top of her head. He brought a hand up to lace through her hair, supporting the back of her head, while resting his cheek lightly on the spot he had just kissed.

"Remy love yo' cherie." He whispered.

"Love you too." Rogue whispered back, her eyes opening slowly.

The worst was over now; things would only start to get better.

* * *

And so it ends.  
That's it, it's all done. No more. It's finished, complete...You can tell I'm stalling for time here :D  
I just want to say a huge, massive, bigger than you can possibly imagine, thank you to everyone who ever has or ever will read this story. I've loved getting to know some of those who've reviewed and I'll miss you all so much. In fact, if anyone wants to stay in contact, (one or two of you already have :D) I'd be well chuffed and I'd love to stay in contact with all of you...Though that might be a little overwhelming O.o  
So what comes next I hear some of you ask. Well, that's a good question. I do have an idea for another X-Man fic, (not a sequel!) but I'm not sure my heart's in it at the moment. I'm also planning a Cardcaptor Sakura thing so if any of you are into that as well keep an eye out. And, of course, to feed my current addiction, I'll be posting various short Harry Potter pieces every fortnight or so :D  
Erm...I really don't think I have anything else to say. Oh wow...I can't believe this is really the end...  
I hope I'll see some of you again and, remember, if ya fancy having a chat sometime I'm always one with a lot to say. Take care everyone. Oh, and have a MerryChristmas and aHappy New Year :)

Hugs and love for all  
Dream


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